An Undying Heart
by twistedsteps301
Summary: Helga had spent several years away from her childhood home and friends, about five to be exact. The choice to return was not on her 'to do' list nor was the choice her own. Being forced back due to a complication involving a colleague's death has her on pins and needles. Fear, a foreign emotion has risen within her and it's not for those she is supposed to be running from.
1. Chapter 1

**So I have decided to begin another fanfic story while I figure out what to do with the other one. I am going to focus on making sure location information is more accurate this time due to a review I received on the other story. I do hope that everyone enjoys this one, I will be good and busy now with two stories, and other stuff but please be patient and I promise to post new chapters as soon as possible. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! **

**Chapter I **

Hunched over, sweat dripping from her forehead, and breathing heavily, Helga tried to unscramble her thoughts. As she made her way back to her apartment, she could not help but think about everything that had happened in the last week. More than what she wanted to remember in a lifetime, she was now fighting back tears. These were not tears of joy, sadness, or physical pain, these were tears of pure anger. Helga could not come to terms with the fact that he was gone, and the funeral was in 3 days.

_If I had just been there earlier could I have stopped it, would he still be alive_? She asked herself as she walked slowly down the sidewalk. She was to the point of becoming emotionally numb, and encaging all of her feelings for the sake of herself.

Situations like this made it harder for Helga, especially due to the secret she has been harboring for 5 years now. This was the first time that she had lost a partner, and it was weighing heavily on her mind. Just as she was rounding the corner, her apartment came into view, the eerie glow of the lamps on the street sent a chill down her spine.

"What the hell? Am I actually nervous? I must be losing my mind." She said out loud as she dug through her pockets for her cell phone. She had put it on silent while she was out trying to clear her mind. The constant phone calls and texts were getting on her last nerve.

"10 missed calls and 46 messages. Dang, can these people give me some peace!" she turned the volume back on, jumping slightly at the sound as someone had now decided to call her.

"Of course." She huffed. She looked at the screen as the name of the caller appeared, Simon. She could not ignore this call, it was too important, he was the boss after all.

"Hey Simon."

"Helga, where the hell are you?" He said sounding somewhat out of breath.

"I went out for a run…what is going on?" she began to worry, he sounded a bit panicked.

"Do not go home, meet me at the office. I am calling Isaac and Samuel too. Hurry up!" With that the phone went dead.

Now looking at a black screen, Helga couldn't help but feel something was off. With that she picked up her pace, briskly walking passed her apartment building. The whole way wondering what could have possibly startled Simon, he was not so easily scared so this had to be something worth worrying about.

The office was another 2 and a half blocks from where she was, and she made every effort to avoid any distractions. She did not want Simon worrying about her any more than he already does. She smiled as she thought about the guys, Simon, Isaac, and Samuel, they had come into her life about 5 years earlier. Helga could not be more happy about it, she loved being around them, they made her feel like she was wanted for once in her life.

As Helga was deep in thought, a pair of toned arms snaked their way around her shoulders pulling her into a rock hard chest. Helga's breath caught in her throat, apart from the fact that it had also just been squeezed out of her. There was a deep laugh that shook her against the unknown person, and it didn't take long for her to figure it out.

"Really Samuel? You scared the hell out of me!" she spat, wiggling in his strong grip.

"Oh..I am sorry angel, I just wanted a hug from the sweetest girl I know." He said with a pouted lip which slowly turned into a grin as he loosened his grip on her.

"Damn, if you wanted a hug then do it like a normal person? Shit like that will get your ass kicked." Helga said as she turned around, trying her best to hold in the smile. It was so hard to stay mad at him, he was the sweetest guy, and always called her Angel. He was tall, dark, and very, very handsome with hazel looking eyes, looked to be in his late twenties. He had a smile that would melt any girl and a personality to match. In some ways he looked like an older Jamie-O, but he was much better looking.

"She is right you know, one day she is going to haul off and beat the shit out of you." A very alluring voice said from the door of the building.

"Oh Isaac, my sweet angel would never." Samuel argued with a smile, pulling Helga in for another hug.

"If you say so, but don't come crying to me when you have to reattach parts." Isaac smirked. He was devilishly handsome, dark black/brown hair, fair skin, with piercing light blue eyes. Not to mention a smile that could make any girl faint, he looked to be about in the same age range as Samuel. He was standing with his arms crossed leaning against the door frame, a small half smirk on his face.

"Hi Isaac, nice to see you." Helga said as Samuel finally let her go. Walking up to the door she was once again pulled into a hug, Isaac wasn't always as straight forward as Samuel but he did care for Helga just as much.

"Nice to see you too." Isaac said as he pulled away, now looking into Helga's deep blue eyes. His smile faded a bit as he started to look more serious now.

"Did Simon tell you why we are all here tonight?" Isaac asked looking at both Helga and Samuel.

"I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the death of my partner." Helga started, looking to the floor now as she was once again yanked back into a slight depression. Isaac placed a gentle hand under her chin bringing her eyes back to his.

"I am very sorry that you are going through this Helga." There was such a sincere tone to his voice, "But no…something has come up. You may not be too happy with the plans that have been arranged."

Helga gave him a questioning look, and she did not like the fact that something has been arranged prior to her knowing. She looked to Samuel for something, but only got a look of guilt.

"You knew Samuel?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I am sorry angel, I was told to keep silent. Simon will explain everything." Samuel said with a reassuring smile.

Helga looked back and forth between the two men, took in a slow breath, "Ok." She finally said, turning to the door that Isaac now held open for her.

As the three of them neared Simon's office door they could hear yelling. _You were supposed to watch him!...No!...It was your damn responsibility to keep eyes on him so he couldn't find her!...Yes you idiot!...No, now we have to move her before he figures out the rest of the details…..How could you be so stupid!...Just find him! _With that he hung up, launching his phone towards the now open doorway where Helga was standing.

Before Helga had time to react to the flying device, Isaac's hand shot in front of her face catching the phone inches before her. Helga drew in a deep breath, and gave Isaac a smile, cocking her head to the side. Isaac returned the smile, and directed his attention to the very angry Simon that now stood still. He was staring at Helga, a very apologetic look on his face now for not seeing her standing there.

"Helga…..I am so sorry. I did not hear you open the door." Simon said as he ran his hand through his light blondish brown hair. He was another very handsome man looking to be in his late twenties to early thirties, his hair was to his ears cut in short layers and kind of flipped at the ends. It fell a little messy, but the look was enchanting. His light fair skin, made him look almost angelic, especially with his pale blue green eyes and his smile was to die for.

"It is ok but…..care to explain why I was almost a casualty to your flying electronic device?" She asked as she walked into the room. She could see that he was extremely pissed off, but she was not going to go and be all sweet just because of his current state.

"An issue..has…come up, and-"as he fumbled for his words Helga's curiosity was to its boiling point.

"Out with it Simon!" she yelled at him making all three look at her a little stunned by her outburst. Outbursts for her are not abnormal, but she usually held back while talking to Simon.

Simon drew in a deep breath, "Ok. Since the incident with your partner went public, keeping your location hidden has pretty much been destroyed. A friend of Rose, one that holds no real ties to us, has been watching _HIM_. Up until the incident everything was in check, but…..well thanks to public announcements on the death and names involved….well let's just say that you will need to be relocated immediately."

Helga's eyes widened at the news, she knew exactly who he was referring to and she knew exactly what was going to happen next. She was going to be moved to some other location in hopes to throw _him _off her trail. This is something that was starting to get under her skin, and she was sick of running. _ Since when the hell would Helga G. Pataki run from someone? _She would ask herself.

"Are you serious?! What the hell? So I am just supposed to pick up and move somewhere….AGAIN?! What about my PARTNER'S funeral? And-"She began to argue but was cut off mid-sentence.

"You have no choice! You will get your ass ready to leave TONIGHT!" Simon yelled, causing Helga to take a small step back. He was not an intimidating man, but she was a little taken back by his yelling.

Helga drew in a deep breath, readying herself for an argument, but was stopped as Samuel placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a sweet smile before he spoke, "Look angel, this is in no way punishment for you, and you know that. We just want to make sure you are safe. We care about you way too much to let that guy find you and try to take you. Please understand."

Helga let out the breath she had been holding without realizing it, softening her gaze at Samuel's pleading eyes. Dropping her head she groaned, "Ya know sometimes I really hate you."

This made Samuel smile, "I know, but you know I am right." He directed his attention to Simon who was now sitting on the small leather couch in his office. "Ok boss, what needs to be done?"

Simon sat forward placing his elbows on his knees, interlacing his fingers and resting his chin on them. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them slowly, "Helga, when was the last time you spoke with any of your friends?"

Helga looked a little confused by his question, "Um, about two weeks ago or so."

"Have you kept in contact with them on a fair amount over the years?" he asked, yet another strange question.

"Yes, I call and message them via the secure line that you requested I use." She really wanted him to just get to the point now, it seemed like he was just beating around the bush.

"How much do they know…about you?" he asked, now looking at her.

"Well, they just know that I took up a partnership in the city with law enforcement officials. Nothing more really, I told them most of what I do is classified." She answered honestly. "What are you getting at?"

"We have been successful so far in hiding your past from unwanted eyes and ears. I was thinking, that after what has happened recently, you should go home and spend time with your friends. It would be good for you to see them I think, and you talk about it a lot." Helga's eyes went wide, she was really surprised at what she was hearing.

Simon noticed her look and chuckled a bit, "Yes we do listen to your rambling, even when you think we aren't. This would be your chance to catch up with old friends, but in the meantime it is great for us as we can plan a future place for you to go. Somewhere those unwanted eyes and ears won't expect. Isaac and Samuel will rotate their time out there with you so that one can help me organize another plan. No exceptions, I want someone out there in case you need help, understood?"

Helga could just nod her head, she was still shocked that this was an option for her. Yes she kept in touch with most of everyone in Hillwood, but no one knew the truth about her and what she has really been up to the last 5 years.

"Ok. Do not worry about any of your belongings for now. Room and board have already been set up for you there as well as funds to buy whatever personal items you will need." Simon said as he stood from where he was sitting. He walked over to Helga and placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes meeting hers, "We will make sure that you are safe, you have my word." He said before pulling her into a tight embrace.

As Simon stepped back from Helga she couldn't help but laugh, "Well looks like my friends are in for one hell of an awakening…..I'm going to Hillwood." Helga's gaze went to the floor as she thought about seeing everyone again. Sure she spoke with most of everyone as much as she could, shared pictures, and was caught up on everyone's lives as much as possible. She knew pretty much everything about them, but her friends knew absolutely nothing about the secret she was keeping from them.

Helga let a smile play on her face, "Ok. Let's get going then."

**Reviews please, what did you awesome readers think so far? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**For the reviews that I got for the first chapter, thank you! There are going to be a lot of parts to this story so the ones that want to see what is going to happen please be patient. After this chapter the characters will start falling in as well as more. There will be harsh language throughout this story so you have been forewarned. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

**Chapter II **

To further keep the travel to Hillwood hushed, they decided to drive the ten and a half hours. Isaac was driving, and refused to let Helga even think of driving so that she had time to rest. Samuel sat in the passenger seat singing along with whatever came on the radio that interested him. Helga sat with her legs stretched out across the back seat, earphones in, humming to the music while she stared out at the passing structures.

Sleep was something that did not find her too often anymore so there was more time to think about positives and negatives in her life. Too often were there more negative thoughts than positives, but she liked to think of them to remind her of the positives she has now. As she turned her attention to the two men that sat in the front she could not help but smile.

She heard a muffled voice through the music which made her remove the earphones, "What?"

"I said, what are you thinking about back there?" Isaac asked, not taking his attention from the road.

Helga looked down at her lap, "Just…..life." she answered quietly.

"Thinking about your partner?" Samuel chimed in.

Helga bit the inside of her mouth as she organized everything that she had been thinking about, "Honestly, yes…and no. There is a lot on my mind and it is really frustrating."

With that Samuel turned slightly in his seat so as to look at Helga, "You ok angel?"

"I think so. I am just on edge about seeing everyone face to face. It is easier talking to them on the phone or through messages, they can't see my face when I lie. I am still worked up about my partner's death, and honestly…..a little scared about you know who." She said as she brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"Helga," Isaac spoke, "there is no way in hell we will let anything happen to you. You will be fine with your friends, but if you need help we can always step in with something." He said as he gestured to himself and Samuel.

Helga laughed a little at that comment, "Yeah...lying is always good when you have a professional available."

"I am not sure if I am supposed to take offense to that, or take it as some twisted compliment." Samuel said with a grin.

Helga smiled at him, "Don't worry you two, I know that I will be ok. Still….I am a pessimist remember?"

With that the car fell silent, the music now being the voice of the ride. Helga was taken back to her thoughts once more, that night kept replaying in her mind. _How the hell could I have let that happen, if I could have gotten there quicker could I have….saved him? _She thought.

_Flashback-_

"_Ok I will be there in about 10 minutes. Sorry for being late, but short notice doesn't mean speedy response." Helga said to her partner who waited on the other end of the line. _

"_Ok, the chief said that he had gotten a last minute tip about this place today so….well you obviously know the rest. We will be here all damn night, but hopefully it pays off this time. I am tired of these lose ends." He said._

"_Me too. Did the chief say who the tip came from by chance?" she asked._

"_Actually no, but you know we get anonymous tips all the time. If this turns out to be bullshit I will hunt that anonymous idiot down and kick their ass myself." He said with a laugh. _

_This made Helga laugh as well, she couldn't help but think of how she actually enjoyed their little stake outs together. He told the worst jokes that she just couldn't help but laugh at, and his choice of music was awesome. Needless to say never a dull moment with him. _

"_Ok, I am just about a block away. Pick me up on 10__th__, and West Elm, we will circle around so no one sees me getting in your car. Don't need to risk spoiling a possible good lead." She said as she stopped at the intersection. This was commonly done when either one was on late notice of a situation. _

"_Ok, sounds good…" He said, but there was a loud tap on the window, "Just a sec…Can I help you?" She could hear someone chuckle at Craig's question. "What's so.…HEY!" she heard him yell at the mystery person on the other end, followed by what sounded like glass breaking. She could hear shuffling on the other end of the line._

"_Craig?...Craig!" her eyes grew wide as she began to panic. Without another thought she started running to where her partner was supposed to be parked, phone still on and to her ear. _

_Suddenly she heard Craig yell, "No!" followed by a wickedly sinister laugh. It was not Craig's laugh for sure, it had to belong to the person attacking him. Helga ran the distance to him in record time, running up to the car as fast as her legs would carry her. There was no one around, the driver side window had been busted, glass everywhere, and Craig laid motionless across the front seats. _

"_No…..Craig?!" she yanked open the door and pulled Craig up gently so that he was now sitting up in the driver's seat. He groaned weakly, his right hand was clenching is light blue dress shirt that was rapidly turning a dark shade of red. His face was void of color, no real expression of any kind present on it either. Seeing this Helga quickly called 911, praying that they would get there in time. _

_She stayed on the phone with emergency personnel while trying to get a response of some kind from Craig, "Craig? Can you open your eyes for me?...Please?" she pleaded in a soft tone. He was fading fast, and was barely holding on to conciseness. Helga calmed herself so as to not panic him, but it was one of the hardest things she had ever tried to do. How do you comfort someone when they are dying right in front of you? How can you tell them everything will be ok when it isn't? She moved his hand to see if she could assess the severity of the damage….it was bad. She carefully placed her hand over the area that was showing no signs of slowing on the bleeding, red now covering her hand. Taking in a breath as she tried to control herself, this was harder for her for more reasons than she thought possible._

_Helga, now looking at Craig with blurred vision, trying to blink away the tears as she watched her partner, her friend, slip away from her. The look of complete helplessness on her face as she watched her friend's life slowly leave him. She could hear the faint sounds of sirens in the background, but knew that they could do nothing. As she looked up to her partner's face, his eyes fluttered open for a moment to set on hers. He smiled weakly as he spoke, "You're late." She gently placed her other hand on his cheek as a weak smile formed on her face, tears slowly making their escape from her eyes. _

_She could feel the last breath leave him, and it felt like it had left her too, "I am so sorry…Craig." She couldn't hold it in anymore, she began crying as she felt the hands of the first responders pulling her away from him. They walked her over to the back of the ambulance, but her gazed did not leave him. She could see the reaction of the man that was checking Craig, his head hung low as it slowly shook now knowing the same thing she did…..Officer Godley was gone. _

Back to the car…..

Helga was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt something slowly running down her cheek. Tears had started to form in her eyes as she recapped that evening and one was now slowly trickling down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped the reaction to the memory off of her face and worked on composing herself before Isaac, or Samuel noticed.

"Well…..we are now in your hometown angel." Samuel spoke up from the front as he noticed the city limits sign.

Helga looked out the window, "Yep….that's it." She took a deep calming breath, "How the hell am I going to do this?" She asked, not really a question she was expecting to be answered.

"We will be there to help you." Samuel answered her without hesitation as he turned in his seat, "Plus, Simon will be here tomorrow to check things out, and take me back to start working on the plans."

"You going to call your friends and let them know you are here?" Isaac asked.

"Actually, I was thinking of keeping my presence here a secret and surprise them." Helga replied as she looked at her phone.

She could hear Isaac chuckle, "That should be interesting."

"Tell me about it." She said as she raised her eyebrows. She decided to text Phoebe and find out what she was up to, and work her way around that.

**Hey Phoebe-H**

**Hello! How are you?-P**

**Peachy. You?-H**

**Oh I am great! Just getting ready for tonight-P **

**What's going on tonight?-H**

**Gerald is taking me out tonight ****-P**

**Oh yeah? What's tall hair-boy got up his sleeve?-H**

**Oh Helga….we are just meeting up with some of our friends-P**

**That's the best he can do?-H**

**No ****…but he thought it would be nice to see them since we have some free time-P**

**Ok, ok….well who are you going to have to put up with tonight?-H**

**The usual, you know. We still keep in touch on a regular basis.-P**

**Want me to tell Arnold you say Hi ;) –P**

**Not funny :P-H**

**On the contrary, I found it quite funny-P**

**Anyways…where are you guys meeting up?-H**

**A little place in town that does karaoke. They thought it would be fun-P**

**What to embarrass themselves?-H**

**Probably-P**

**I don't remember there being a place like that, must be new. What's the name?-H**

**It is kind of and it's called Mike's Karaoke Bar-P**

**Sounds lame…have fun-H**

**Ha ha ok Helga. I will text you while I am there. I am sure there will be something to talk about then-P**

**Sounds good Pheebs, later-H**

_If only you knew Phoebe,_ she thought. Helga smiled, "Well that was easier than I thought." The guys shot each other a glace, Samuel turning so he was now looking at Helga.

"Care to share your devious plan angel?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, looks like we are going to a karaoke bar tonight." She said with a grimace at that word, _karaoke_. Helga could sing quite well although she rarely let anyone hear her. The only one out of her friends that had ever heard her sing was Phoebe. Not that she was planning on singing there, but it could be fun to see if they could figure out it was her. She was still the sarcastic Helga G. Pataki they all remembered, maybe a little more calm now, but never missing the opportunity to speak her mind.

Sure she sent them pictures of her and all, but she hadn't sent them an up to date picture in over three years. Most of what she sent them was older and her looks had changed since then. Her facial features had softened, surpassing her sister Olga's looks by miles. Helga could barely recognize herself sometimes, time had been very kind to her, in more ways than one. She now stood a solid 5 foot 7 inches, an hourglass figure that most girls would kill for, long toned legs, flawless ivory skin that seemed to glow against her long blonde hair. She had gotten it styled a little while back, now sporting bangs that fell just below her eyebrows, sweeping to the side and several layers cut that pretty much managed her hair for her.

Helga was not the kind to flaunt herself, she still liked dressing in jeans, running shoes, and a simple t-shirt. Still as much a tomboy as ever, though if the time called for it, she could really shine.

A few moments later the car pulled to a stop, Helga looked up to see that they were now sitting outside of an apartment complex.

"Why are we at an apartment building?" she asked as she looked out the window. The building was nice, looked clean enough, but why an apartment?

"Simon thought an apartment would be more comfortable than a hotel room." Isaac said as he opened the driver side door. Samuel was already heading inside to speak with the staff.

"How long is he planning on me being here?" She asked as she got out of the car, following behind Isaac. He turned slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"He only signed a six month lease, just in case." He responded. Helga grabbed his arm forcing him to stop walking, as she walked in front of him to look him in the eyes.

"Is there something else I should know?" this time a little bit of anger in her tone as she asked the question. She was beginning to think they were hiding something from her and this pissed her off.

Isaac sighed, "It is just in case relocating you takes longer." Helga wasn't buying his response for a second, "Yeah and I have a tree growing out of my ass. What the hell is really going on Isaac?"

Her stared hardened as he looked to the ground then back to her, "Someone that Simon once considered a close friend is relaying information to the ones we are hiding you from. He is taking extra precaution this time so it may take longer."

**I know it is starting kind of slow, but where would the fun be if I just jumped right in. It would suck! :) Reviews if you will. Thanks for reading. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so here is the next chapter, sorry it had taken a bit of time to get up. I wanted to write a few chapters before submitting them so it takes the story a little further. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

**Chapter III**

Helga let the words sink in as she stood motionless in the shower, the water trailing her body. The fact that there was someone Simon had trusted that was responsible for the slip of more than enough information on her whereabouts really shook her up.

_How the hell could he have missed that? He was always so careful about what information was given, and who it was given to. This has to be the reason Simon was more worked up than usual. _

Helga continued to stand still in the shower, everything hitting her at once, the reality of her situation was they had no clue who this traitor was! This traitor that was forwarding her location and probably more to the ones whose sights she wanted to steer clear of. Helga's temper began to flare at the thoughts, the probability, was this "leak" somehow responsible for her partner getting killed? Helga's eyes went wide, her breathing increased to a panicked state, placing her hands on the shower wall to keep herself from falling.

_Wa-was Craig's attacker actually there for me? Craig just got in the way so the person killed him to get their point across? What the hell? _She thought to herself, so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the bathroom door open. Helga didn't feel the need to lock the door with Samuel and Isaac around, no one in their right mind would try to mess with her with both of them around.

Helga turned off the water ceasing the steady flow of water on her body. Fully opening the door to the walk in shower, it took a split second for her to realize she was not alone, she screamed out in surprise as well as lost her balance on the wet shower floor. Before she had time to react there were a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around her very exposed body. Helga's face now held an expression of horror at the feeling of someone holding her, still naked and dripping wet from the shower.

Helga suppressed the urge to scream out in whatever emotion it was she was feeling right then, "Let go of me." She growled through gritted teeth. The grip around her body seemed to tighten slightly instead.

"If I let you go, you are going to fall." Helga calmed a little at the voice, looking up now to see Isaac, his face was so close she could feel his breath on her own, "Plus you are still naked." He said calmly, bringing them both up to a full standing position, his hold on her not lessening. Helga just looked at him as she processed his words, _All the more reason to let me go? _She thought. _How the hell is it he is so calm about this?! _Helga's face started to turn red as she once again realized she was being held so close to him, feeling the softness of his clothing against her bare skin.

Once again finding her voice, "Then how about you close your damn eyes!" she scolded.

The little flare of her temper made him laugh a little, his eyes meeting hers once again as a sly grin formed on his face, "As you wish." He said as he loosened his grip, but not before making one final remark, "It's not like I haven't _seen_ you before anyway." With that he closed his eyes, smiling at the now shocked expression on Helga's face, he turned around and Helga forcefully pushed him towards the door. She thought the door would break into thousands of pieces at the force she closed it with. This time making sure to lock it, she drew in a deep breath calming herself before making her way over to the mirror.

As she approached the sink she heard a soft knock on the door, "Oh so you can knock huh?" she asked sarcastically.

Isaac laughed on the other side of the door, "Seems I can."

Helga rolled her eyes at his returned sarcasm, "Was there a reason for coming in unannounced?"

"As unbelievable as it may sound, I was checking on you. You have been in there for a while." He said back in his usual nonchalant tone.

She drew in a deep breath letting it out slowly, "Ok, but don't make a habit of it, got it?" she said a little forcefully.

"Got it." She then heard his footsteps, fading as he walked away from the door. Turning her attention to her reflection self, shaking her head slightly she let a little smirk play on her lips.

"I hate it when guys know they can get to a girl like that." She said to her reflection in a low tone, leaning forward, placing a hand on either side of the sink. Helga studied herself, a smile crept across her face when she thought about seeing her friends later that night. "Ok Helga, time to get dressed. Don't need any more incidents." She told herself as she reached for her clothing.

After about two hours, Helga emerged from the bathroom in a simple but very form fitting black knee length dress. The dress showing off her curves in all the right ways, the neckline accentuating her bust, but not giving away too much. She finished it off with a pair of metallic silver peep-toe high heels. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail that fell just below her shoulders in loose curls. Her bangs swept to the side with a few lose strands framing her beautiful facial features. The little makeup she did wear was just enough to enhance what she already had, making getting ready an effortless act.

She had taken the opportunity to look the karaoke place up before hand, it seemed like a pretty nice place. At least this being another advantage for her as no one has ever really seen her dressed up. Although she had to admit, every now and then she did like to show off her feminine side as opposed to being so tomboyish.

As Helga entered the living room area of the apartment she looked to see Samuel sitting at the computer desk typing away, probably to Simon about their arrival and other need to know information. Isaac was standing by one of the big windows, hands in his pockets. Helga let out a deep sigh, which was apparently loud enough to get Samuel's attention. As he looked over to her a big smile crept across his face, "Well, well. What do we have here?" He said standing up from the desk chair. Samuel's comment seemed to have also pulled Isaac out of his thoughts as he turned his attention from the view outside to where Helga was standing.

"You are an Angel in my eyes…but with looks like this, you could be very dangerous." Samuel said with a grin as he took Helga's hand into his, planting a soft kiss on it. "You look stunning." He said as he released her hand.

Helga couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her lips, "You are such a gentleman Samuel."

"I try my best." He said with a slight bow.

"Yeah unlike some." She said gesturing towards Isaac who was still standing by the window. "Some need to work on it a bit before they get a foot in the…."

"Oh come on." Isaac said, "I had a good reason to come in there, I already told you." He almost seemed to pout a little which made Helga smirk at his childish attitude towards the incident, a side of himself only Samuel and Helga had ever witnessed.

Samuel raised both of his hands as he made his way back to the desk chair, shaking his head, "Ok, I am not getting in the middle of this one."

Helga could only laugh at the scene before her, Samuel's reaction to it and Isaac's face as he tried to once again justify himself. "Ok guys enough of that. Let's get ready to head out."

**Meanwhile at Gerald's place…..**

"Phoebe, are you almost ready to get going?" Gerald asked from the bottom of the stairs. His girlfriend had been getting ready for near two hours now and he had lost count at how many times he had checked his watch. "We are going to be late."

"Almost." He heard her high pitched voice as she replied from the bedroom.

He turned around and made his way into the living room plopping himself down on the soft couch with a loud sigh. Of course no sooner than his butt hit the couch there was a firm knock at the front door. Gerald groaned as he forced himself up from the couch and slowly made his way to the front door. There was another knock just as he was reaching for the door knob, "Dang hold on a second." He said as he turned the knob and opened the door.

"Hey Gerald." A familiar voice said.

"Hey Arnold, how you been man?" Gerald responded followed by their trademark handshake they had done since they were kids.

Arnold smiled at his best friend, "Yeah I'm fine." Gerald gestured for Arnold to follow him inside. They walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, Gerald grabbing the remote turning on the TV.

"So you coming tonight…..alone?" Gerald asked as he glanced over to his childhood friend.

Arnold looked at Gerald with a small smile and shrugged, "Story of my life Gerald. She never wants to hang out with any of my friends but I have no choice when it comes to hers."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Man I don't even know why you are still with that girl." Gerald said shaking his head.

"Yeah man I know. Maybe we should take a break or something, I don't know." Arnold shrugged as he leaned further back into the couch.

"Man forget taking a break, just break it off!" Gerald spoke up, a bit of a bite to his words. "We tried telling you after the first, and might I remind you the last time we met this girl of yours, that she was no good."

"I know Gerald." Arnold leaned forward putting his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands. "I just don't know how to do it."

Gerald looked at his best friend, "This is what I'm talking about man. The Arnold I know would have figured something out. She has changed you and not in a good way."

Arnold looked up at Gerald knowing he was right, "Yeah."

Right about that time they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, "Ok ready….Oh! Hello Arnold." Phoebe said as she as she placed an earring in and securing it with its backing.

"Hello Phoebe."

"Hey babe, Arnold is going to ride with us." Gerald stated ignoring Arnold's reaction.

"Ok. Just let me grab my wallet." Phoebe said as she rushed into the kitchen to grab it.

Arnold looked back at Gerald with a questioning expression, "So?"

"Look, Arnold, we are going to go hang out with our friends. Friends that we have known since we were kids and barely get to see now. I am not going to let that so called girlfriend of yours ruin it for you. Ride with us and if you want you can stay the night here, we have a guest bedroom. Take a night off, enjoy yourself….who knows you may actually find something better than a good time with friends."

"Gerald." Arnold said sternly.

Gerald raised his hands in defense, "I'm not saying go do something like _that_. Just have fun man."

Arnold ran a hand through his hair, "Alright."

"Ok you two let's get going. Rhonda just text me, most of everyone is there now." Phoebe said as she walked out of the kitchen.

**Back to Helga…**

**So how is it going?-H**

**Almost there. We were running a little late, should get a good earful from Rhonda ;)-P**

**Ha! Yeah little Miss Princess never was one for late arrivals. Good luck!-H**

**Ha ha thank you!-P**

**Oh Arnold says Hi!-P**

**Welcome Pheebs. And tell football head I said hello-H**

Helga place her phone in her lap as the car pulled into the parking lot of the karaoke bar Phoebe had mentioned. Once the car came to a stop Helga made her way out of the car slowly, turning to face the front of the building. It looked a little upscale for a karaoke club or whatever it was supposed to be. Helga could hear the muffled sound of music coming from the building as she, Isaac and Samuel made their way to the front door.

Helga waited for the nervous feeling to build up inside as she stepped closer to the entrance, but the feeling never came. Instead she was excited to see her friends, though she was not going to just walk up to them. No she had planned to take it slowly, she had a way of letting one person in particular know that it was her and she hoped that her best friend would know it was her.

"You ready for this angel?" Samuel asked as he opened the door. Helga looked at him and nodded, a big smile on her face that made him smile as well. "You do realize that you are going to be the most beautiful out of all the women in there?"

Helga just laughed lightly at his comment, "Well we are naturally stunning beings, especially to those pig heads." Was all she said in response as she turned to walk inside.

"You were beautiful before the changes. Now it is just untouchable." Isaac chimed in which surprised Helga a bit. "What I mean is..be on your toes." He said quickly. Helga glanced at Isaac before turning to the entrance.

Once they were inside, Samuel stood on one side of her and Isaac made his way to the other side. Helga took in the surroundings, it was clean, roomy, there was a stage for the ones that wanted to sing and a large dance floor. It was dimly lit and surprisingly did not smell of cigarettes and stale food. "Not bad." She stated to no one in particular.

Her presence did not go unnoticed, at a large corner booth close to the entrance someone had eyes set on her. A sly grin spread across his face.

**For those willing to review please do, for those who read thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So here is chapter four, I may make changes depending on how I feel about it. So far I just wanted to get it posted and see if anyone has any suggestions. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any songs, singers or other famous titles I may have mentioned in this story.**

**Chapter IV**

Helga quickly made her way across the room to a table set up against the far back wall. Knowing that she had gotten there before Phoebe she did not want to be discovered so soon. Isaac and Samuel followed Helga to the table and took a seat as well, but not before getting a bit of attention on the way.

Helga laughed at Isaac's expression once he sat down, "Um you still got your backside? I thought that one girl was going to take it with her." Isaac glared at Helga but this only made her laugh a little harder. At Isaac's reaction, Samuel couldn't help but laugh as well.

**At the corner table….**

"Ok everyone, I just got a text from Phoebe. She and Gerald are about to walk in, Arnold is with them so that is everyone. Correct?" Rhonda stated in her, proper I'm-in-charge tone. Everyone at the table shared glances at one another and shook their heads agreeing. "Perfect!"

As Rhonda continued to speak, Sid, who was sitting next to Stinky and Harold let his glance trail over to the front entrance. His eyes set on a gorgeous blonde that had just stepped in, he nudged Stinky and Harold, "Hey check out the 10+ that just walked in." he said, low enough so that Rhonda couldn't hear him. Stinky and Harold followed Sid's attention and spotted the one he was referring too pretty quickly, she wore a short enough black dress, hair pulled up in a ponytail.

"Boy howdy, she sure is pretty." Stinky said, his draw as thick as it was when they were younger.

"Mhmm." Harold responded.

Sid turned his attention back to them, "I am so going for that tonight."

Stinky chuckled, "Well, you might want to take a number."

"What? Why?" Sid asked a little confused. Stinky pointed to the girl as two tall figures now stood on either side of her. Sid turned his attention back to the guys and shrugged his shoulders, "Your point?"

"It your funeral man. Don't get me involved in that or I'll pound ya" Harold scolded getting a harsh "SHHHH!" from Rhonda who was still trying to talk, not caring if anyone was really paying attention.

Right about that time Phoebe walked up with Gerald, hand in hand, followed by Arnold, "Hello everyone!" Phoebe said as she waved a little at their friends.

Everyone exchanged greetings and hugs before settling down again to talk and share random life stories. Of course Rhonda went on where she left off about her life as a stylist/model/jewelry designer/still as rich as ever. Everyone just sighed at her endless rambling and took to ordering drinks as they would probably need them to make it through her stories.

**At Helga's table…..**

Helga let out an annoyed groan as she rejected another guy who asked her to dance. At this point she had lost count, Samuel and Isaac on the other hand were very amused at the scene playing before them. Not that they hadn't already had their fair share of invites and given their own number of rejections out.

"Guys go have fun, dance a little, and try to enjoy yourself." Helga finally said after watching Isaac ignore attention from yet another girl. "I am going to get a drink." She said as she got up from the table, not knowing the long sigh Isaac let escape.

"You ok?" Samuel asked turning his attention to Isaac.

"Yeah." Isaac said as he glanced over in the direction Helga had walked.

At the bar, Helga was able to find an open seat at the corner. The bartender made his way over to her, "What can I get ya hun?" Helga settle for a glass of whiskey, not being too fond of the sweet fruity drinks the other women were ordering. The bartender smiled and poured her glass setting it down in front of her. "Thanks" she said to him as he made his way down the line of customers.

**At the corner booth…**

Sid noticed the blonde woman he had spotted earlier was now making her way to the bar, alone. He stood up looking back at Stinky, "Hey man I'm..I'm gonna go get a drink." Stinky looked at Sid and then towards the bar noticing the blonde woman from earlier sitting at the corner of it. "Well alright Sid. Give me a holler if you find yourself in need of backup." Stinky replied.

Sid nodded his head and walked in the direction of the bar.

**At the bar…..**

Helga was sipping on her drink, finally to the point the taste did not make her face want to scrunch up and the burn down her throat no longer bothered her. She was lost in the thoughts of the possibility of her plan working or failing at this point when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Helga turned around, her eyes immediately widened as she looked at the person standing beside her.

"Hello there. The names Sid. Mind if I ask you yours?" He said.

"Um hello." Helga said, trying to control herself. _Ok well it looks like he doesn't know who I am so, so far so good. _

Sid laughed a bit at her reaction, "You got a name to go with that gorgeous face?"

At this point Helga didn't know if she should lie to keep her secret, or honestly tell him that it was her.

Sid let out a little sigh, "Well how about you tell me after a quick dance?" He asked offering her his hand. "I promise you won't regret it. Maybe we could exchange more than names afterwards?" He said with a wink.

Helga looked at his hand once more before letting out a little laugh, one which caught Sid off guard. He took a step back, a little irritated at her reaction. Helga lightened up on the laughing and waved her hands in front on her, "It's nothing against you. Really, I just found it amusing." This obviously didn't settle with him well as he looked at her with a confused and frustrated expression, "Forget it. You are obviously too stuck up to have a good time."

Sid turned around but before he could walk off Helga grabbed his hand, "Sid," she started, trying to find the words. She looked at him and hung her head defeated, "Come here." Helga pulled Sid over to a table that was unoccupied, and asked him to sit down.

"I wasn't laughing at you Sid I swear it." She said, trying to look sympathetic.

"Well what were you laughing at then? And can I at least get your name?" He asked sounding a bit irritated still but his look softened.

Helga looked down, not really sure how to tell him who he had been hitting on. She took a deep breath, "Sid, um…it's Helga." She watched for his reaction but he didn't seem to catch on right off the bat.

Sid chuckled a bit at the name, "Helga? I know a girl named Helga. Boy was she a terror when we were kids." He started to laugh a bit at the thought.

"Watch it bucko." Helga said in a firm tone. This immediately made him stop and seem to choke on the breath he took in. His eyes were wide as he looked at her, at this point Helga couldn't help but laugh.

"Helga?" Sid said, finally finding his voice. "As in Pataki?"

"The one and only." Helga stated seeming to have triumphed over something as she crossed her arms.

To her surprise however, Sid jumped up from his seat and hugged her tightly. A huge smile on his face as he let go of her, "Wow Helga, you look….wow!" He said as he did a once over of Helga.

Helga cleared her throat, "Yeah…um listen Sid, don't tell anyone else that I am here ok?"

Sid's smile faded a bit, "Why? They are going to be freaking ecstatic that you are here. Especially Phoebe…..wait does Phoebe know?" Helga shook her head in response. "Oh. Then you must be serious about this."

"Yeah." Helga said as she scratched the back of her neck. "Look I am going to let them all know that I am here soon, but I have a plan set up first." Sid nodded.

"Ok Helga." Sid said before giving her another friendly hug. "I won't tell them. And Helga, it is good to see you. Oh and…um, sorry about hitting on you."

"Thanks Sid, it's good to see you too." Helga chuckled, "Don't worry about it."

Helga gave him a small wave as he turned around and headed back to the table everyone was sitting at. As Helga turned to make her way back to her table she bumped into someone, "Oh….sorry." She said looking up to see Isaac.

"Eavesdropping much?" She asked glaring at him a bit.

"Just making sure everything is ok." He said.

"Everything is fine Isaac. Stop worrying so much." As Helga turned to walk back to their table Isaac grabbed her wrist spinning her around and pulled her making her slam into his chest. Helga looked up at him, their faces just inches away from one another as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She could feel his breath on her face, she focused her eyes on his.

"Need I remind you that I was asked to keep you safe?" He said moving his face closer to hers, their noses touching. Helga had to admit to herself that this position was even more nerve wrecking than the bathroom incident, and she had clothes on this time. The better question being, why the hell was it nerve wrecking at all?

Helga rolled her eyes, "I know that, but you don't have to treat me like a child."

Isaac's grip tightened a bit around her, speaking in a low tone that seemed to growl, "Believe me I don't think of you like that." For some reason Helga could feel the heat on her cheeks, just the tone of his voice alone was enough. For some reason, maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but she thought she noticed him move his head closer, as if it could get any closer. No sooner than she thought it he pulled his head back, his look still piercing but now with a wicked grin on his face.

"You know, most girls can't handle being that close to me." He said in a cocky way.

Helga scoffed at his comment, "Yeah well as you know, I'm not like most girls."

The grin on his face widened, "I know." With that he let go of her and turned, walking towards the table where Samuel was still sitting. Helga stood still for a moment collecting her thoughts and brushing off whatever that was before walking back to the table as well.

**At the corner booth….**

Sid made his way back to the table where the others were still listening to Rhonda talk. He sat his elbow on the table and rested his chin in the palm of his hand taking in a deep breath. He felt a sharp pat on the back, "No luck?" Stinky asked.

Sid turned to his friend and smiled, "Not exactly."

Stinky looked at Sid for a second, "Hey man are you doing alright?"

Sid nodded turning his attention to the guys who had huddled on one side of the booth leaving the girls to Rhonda's gossip.

Just then the place erupted in a loud voice as someone came across the loud speaker, "OK, OK, ladies and gentleman. You all know what time it is. It is time to start the karaoke part of the evening for those brave souls who dare to set foot on this stage. All who are interested come on up and put your name on the list."

A few people from the table decided to go for it and filed up to the line that had already formed. There wasn't a lot of people willing to spill it for the crowd but in the line about six people behind Phoebe and a few of the others, Sid could see Helga. He smiled as she signed her name on the list and walk back to her seat.

Once again the voice came over the loud speaker, "Alright if that is everyone we will get this started. As always, after a few have gone we will play a few random songs in between. Now let's give it up for our first singer." The crowd shouted and clapped for the first person, taking the chance to calm the crowd with a slower song.

As the list grew shorter and shorter, Helga couldn't help but notice how most of everyone that had gone did amazingly well. Most gaining a huge round of applause from the crowd along with some whistles to the pretty girls that sang and laughs at the drunks who tried their best to not fall off the stage.

Helga noticed whenever one of her friends got on the stage to sing, she of course knowing what they looked like so it was easy to spot most of them. Also she took the opportunity to follow where they went after they were done to see just where they had been this whole time.

Rhonda was first out of the group singing Barbie-Girl by Aqua, making Helga roll her eyes, followed by Phoebe who chose to sing Mine by Phoebe Ryan. This made Helga smile at the name of the actual singer and her best friend. Phoebe sang it beautifully not missing a single word, her pitch was right on. A red haired girl walked on the stage getting quite a few whistles, Helga could tell exactly who it was, Lila. Of course the song was even more of a dead giveaway, Helga could tell it was one by Taylor Swift- We Are Never Getting Back Together. She had to admit that Lila was great and she loved her choice of song.

A handful of singers and a break or two later, Helga's name was coming up on the list. She already knew what she wanted to sing but she wasn't worried about messing up, she was hoping that it would trigger a realization in a certain best friend to her presence.

Before Helga knew it her name had been called, well actually not her real name. To keep the secret she simply wrote down, Angel H.P., on the list. She turned to Samuel who had a bright smile on his face at the name she chose to go by for this.

Helga made her way on stage, attracting more whistles and shouting from random guys than she liked. She walked over to the DJ and told him the song it was she was going to sing. Helga had decided on a song from the movie Mortal Instruments, Heart by Heart sang by Demi Lovato, it was one of Phoebe's favorite songs from the movie and she had heard Helga singing it once while they were on the phone. Apparently Helga had sang it so well that Phoebe would not get off the phone until she had sang it all.

As she approached the mic she hoped her friend had remembered the song she made her sing for her, the memory made Helga smile. Helga drew in a deep breath as the music started playing, looking out over the many faces that looked at her. She could see the booth that her friends were sitting at pretty well from the stage so she decided to use that as a way of seeing if her friend would react or not.

Taking in another deep breath she began.

_When your soul finds the soul it was waiting for  
When someone walks into your heart through an open door  
When your hand finds the hand it was meant to hold  
Don't let go  
Someone comes into your world  
Suddenly your world has changed forever_

_No there's no one else's eyes_  
_That could see into me_  
_No one else's arms can lift_  
_Lift me up so high_  
_Your love lifts me out of time_  
_And you know my heart by heart_

Phoebe was casually talking to her friend sitting at the booth when a familiar song caught her attention. She fell silent as she listened to the woman that now stood on the stage. Phoebe started to smile at the recognition of the song and the fact that at one time her best friend had sang the song so beautifully once.

_When you're one with the one you were meant to be find  
Everything falls in place, all the stars align  
When you're touched by the cloud that has touched your soul  
Don't let go  
Someone comes into your life  
It's like they've been in your life forever_

By this time, Phoebe had left the booth and moved a little closer to the stage that the woman was standing on singing one of her favorite songs. As Phoebe got closer she couldn't help but think that the woman singing seemed familiar somehow. The look on Phoebe's face went from happy to pure curiosity as she made her way closer to the stage. Phoebe now stood just in front of the mysterious but familiar woman along with the small crowd that had gathered to watch her.

_No there's no one else's eyes_  
_That could see into me_  
_No one else's arms can lift_  
_Lift me up so high_  
_Your love lifts me out of time_  
_And you know my heart by heart_

The woman on the stage looked down at Phoebe and smiled as she sang. It was at that moment that Phoebe could see her eyes, a deep beautiful blue, that blonde hair and really hear that beautiful voice. Phoebe's eyes shot wide open at the realization, she looked at the women again who was looking at her and mouthed, "Helga".

_So now we've found our way to find each other  
So now I found my way, to you_

Helga continued to sing as her best friend stood in front of her with wide eyes, she knew or at least hoped, that Phoebe had figured it out. She saw Phoebe mouth, "Helga", with a questioning and hopeful look. Helga smiled and her long time childhood friend, while still singing and winked.

_No there's no one else's eyes_  
_That could see into me_

Phoebe's eyes filled with tears as the woman on stage, no Helga, as Helga stood on stage singing the song she fell in love with a few years earlier. She covered her mouth with her hands as she began to cry tears of happiness. She smiled brightly up at Helga as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

_No there's no one else's eyes_  
_That could see into me_  
_No one else's arms can lift_  
_Lift me up so high_  
_Your love lifts me out of time_  
_And you know my heart by heart_

_And you know my heart by heart_

_And you know my heart by heart_

_And you know my heart by heart_

At the end of the song Phoebe couldn't wait for Helga to come off of the stage, she ran up the steps and over to her best friend, throwing her arms around Helga tightly. Helga returned the hug to her as tears had also started to form in her eyes, the crowd erupted in applause at her finish.

**Review if you want :) please read on! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize if the last chapter was a little long, I wanted to get as much covered as possible. So here is the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

**Chapter V**

**Meanwhile at the booth…**

"Willikers, she sure can sing. That was pretty amazing." Stinky said as he applauded the young woman standing on stage. "Say Sid, ain't that the girl you were talking to earlier?"

Sid nodded his head in response to Stinky's question.

The rest of the group also applauded the young woman's talents before returning to their previous random conversations. No one had noticed that Phoebe had slipped away during the performance until Rhonda spotted a small girl walk on the stage and hug the girl that had just been singing.

"Hey Gerald, is that Phoebe?" Rhonda said pointing towards the stage making everyone turn their attention to the stage.

Gerald turned around squinting his eyes a bit at the two women that now stood on the stage, "Um, yeah."

"Oh dear, it looks like she is crying." Said Lila as she placed a hand at her mouth.

With that observation made, Gerald stood from his seat and turned towards the stage as Nadine asked him, "Hey Gerald, do you know who that is with Phoebe?" Gerald turned around to the group and shook his head.

"I am going to go check on Phoebe and find out who that is." Gerald said as he motioned to where she was.

Everyone was studying the woman that Phoebe was hugging not knowing who she was while exchanging confused comments between one another. As Gerald headed in the direction of his girlfriend, Sid sat back in the seat crossing his arms as a smile formed on his face.

…

"Hey Phoebe," Helga spoke breaking the hug between the two, "We should get off the stage so the next person can come on." Phoebe just nodded, the big smile still on her face as they made their way off the stage. They walked just on the other side of the group of people that were standing in front of the stage, getting a few winks and whistles along the way. Helga responded to that with a few eyes rolls and some choice words which made Phoebe giggle.

As they came to a stop Helga didn't even get the chance to turn around completely before Phoebe was hugging her tightly again.

"I can't believe it is really you!" Phoebe said as she let go of Helga taking a small step back, "Wow..um, you have really changed."

Helga laughed a bit, "Yeah, I guess you could say time has been good to me….and I didn't even have to threaten it with these." She held up her fists gaining another giggle from Phoebe.

"Oh Helga." She laughed. Just then Phoebe felt a hand on her shoulder making her turn her attention to the owner. "Oh, Gerald. I didn't notice you had walked up."

"Uh huh. Um correct me if I'm wrong but did I just hear you call her, Helga?" Gerald asked as he looked into the sweet face of his girlfriend. Phoebe smiled and nodded. "Ok, unless you know another girl named Helga, which I doubt, then this is-"

"You got it Gerald-o." Helga said with a smirk. "The one and only Helga G. Pataki." She finished with a simple bow.

Gerald's eyes went wide as he took a step forward wrapping his arms around Helga. Since he had started dating her best friend, Helga and Gerald became good friends. Helga returned the friendly hug with a smile.

**At the booth…**

The group continued to talk and gossip as they watched Gerald approach Phoebe and the mystery woman. Each one trying to see if they could figure out who she might be, but no one had any good guesses. They noticed Gerald was now talking to both of them when all of a sudden Gerald stepped towards the unknown girl and hugged her. The girls gasped and the guys made a few comments on the unexpected movement.

"Um." Was all Harold could say.

"Now I'm really interested to find out who she is." Stinky spoke.

"Yeah." Said Curly and Brainy in unison. The first time the two had actually spoke up this whole time.

"Hey Arnold," Harold spoke up, "you are Gerald's best friend. Do you know who that is?" This question seemed to catch the attention of the others as well as now all eyes were on Arnold.

Arnold put his hands up and shrugged his shoulders, "Have no idea…but I think we are about to find out." He said motioning with his head towards the approaching three.

Everyone once again turned their attention back to the three now making their way to the booth. Phoebe was holding onto the woman's arm smiling and talking the whole way. Gerald stood on one side of the woman and Phoebe on the other both exchanging glances and smiles.

"Ok everyone, wanna guess who this lovely young lady is." Gerald said motioning his hands to Helga.

Everyone just looked at one another, Rhonda of course being the first one to speak, "Look you two, enough with these silly games. Now who is she?"

Helga just chuckled at Rhonda's impatient mannerism, "Well, well is miss princess Lloyd behind on the gossip for once? Crimeny Rhonda, I figured you of all people would be able to figure it out before we even got to the table."

Harold's jaw nearly hit the table, "Helga?!" he half screamed making everyone jump at his surprising reaction. Each person at the table gave him a puzzling look, then slowly turned to the beautiful woman standing at the table.

Helga placed her hands on her hips raising an eyebrow, "You got it bucko." She said with a laugh. Even with the sound of someone singing in the background and the noise of chatter filling the place, you could have heard a pin drop at that table. Helga watched as the sudden realization hit each of her friends and she couldn't hold it in anymore, she burst out laughing.

"OH. MY. GOD. Helga!" Rhonda finally spoke seeming to be frozen to her seat.

Helga smiled and nodded, "In the flesh." She waited for everyone else's minds to catch up and before she knew it the table was in an uproar, a joyous one but it still caught the attention of some nearby tables that threw strange looks at the group.

As the group asked questions, exchanged hugs, numbers and other random stuff, Helga noticed that one person had yet to speak with her. A certain person that she once referred to as football head, sat in his seat not saying a word. It was soon after that the DJ had finally put on a song that seemed to pull a few of the others to the dance floor leaving only Sid, Arnold, and Helga sitting at the table.

Finally a little peace from the craziness of catching up, Helga let out a deep breath she felt like she had been holding in since she had sat down. She raised her eyes to Sid who was sitting across from her, "Thank you for not squealing."

Sid laughed, "No problem. I enjoyed the confusion and surprise you caused, it was amusing."

Helga had to laugh too, it was a little cruel to play it that way but really where is the fun in just coming straight out with it?

"I see somethings never change." Arnold finally spoke up. Helga directed her attention to him, a crooked smile on his face as he looked at her. "Still joking around huh?" he asked.

"You know me football head, it just wouldn't be right if I didn't" She replied with a sly grin making him laugh.

"Whatever you say Helga." He then directed his attention to his phone as it lit up on the table, his smile faded as quickly as it had appeared.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

Arnold looked up and gave her a small smile, "As good as it can be."

Before Helga had a chance to say anymore the table was filling up with their friends again, ultimately killing her chance of finding out what was bothering him.

"Oh!" Helga yelped making a few people at the table jump, "Dang I can't believe I let my mind get away from me." Helga pulled out her phone quickly and text Samuel telling him to come to the corner booth where she was and to bring Isaac.

"You ok Helga?" Phoebe asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I just kind of forgot I was here with people." Helga said sheepishly, a little embarrassed at the fact that she had forgotten her other friends.

"My, my..what do we have here?" she heard Rhonda say as well as Lila say, "Oh." The guys noticed the girls change in attention and followed there gaze to two guys who were walking towards their table. Of course this did not settle well with some of them but no one spoke up.

Helga turned around to see what was going on and a huge grin formed on her face as she saw Samuel and Isaac heading their way. She glanced at Rhonda and the other girls who were fixated on the two guys and couldn't help but think, _oh this is too good._

As the guys stopped at the table, Gerald was the first to speak up, "Um hey guys, can we help you?"

Samuel smiled, "So these are the friends we have heard so much about." The group now looked even more confused than when Helga had come up, except the girls of course, they were too busy swooning over the two new comers.

Helga stood from her seat moving so as to stand between the two, "Everyone this is Samuel and Isaac." She said motioning to each one as she said their names.

"It's a pleasure to meet the friends of my dear angel." Samuel said.

Isaac simply nodded to the group not finding words to say but making no effort to fight for them either.

All the girls waved to Samuel and Isaac with bright smiles, giggling like school girls when Samuel waved back. Helga and Isaac rolled their eyes at this which made some of the guys laugh.

Arnold eyed the two guys closely, Samuel seemed nice but Isaac seemed a little stand offish. Arnold also couldn't help but notice how much closer Isaac stood to Helga than Samuel did, making him wonder if maybe they had something more than a friendship. Right about that time his phone lit up again, this time it wasn't from the person that had been putting him in such a bad mood all night, it was Gerald. Arnold looked over at Gerald whose face held a stern look, he read the message, **Man if you don't start having fun and quit talking to that she-devil I'm gonna personally kick you in the ass!** Arnold looked back to Gerald and smiled nodding his head, he knew Gerald was right, he looked at his phone one last time as another message came up, Kiera being the name on the screen. With a sigh Arnold ignored the message and turned off his phone.

The DJ had once again put on some music that drew the group away now leaving Sid, Arnold, Helga, Samuel and Isaac at the table. A pretty brunette walked up to Samuel asking if he would like to dance with her, before he had a chance to answer Helga blurted out, "He would love to." Forcing Samuel up and giving him an innocent look before he walked to the dance floor with the young woman.

Helga turned her attention to Isaac, "You are next." Isaac glared at her with a smirk, "Hmm."

"No you are." A hand grabbed Helga by the wrist and gently yet firmly pulled her up from her seat and headed towards the dance floor. Helga tried to protest but it was no use.

As the two of them found a place on the dance floor, Helga looked back at the table to see Sid and Isaac sitting in silence. She then turned her focus on the one that had pulled her away, "Ok Arnold what's this about?"

"What? I wanted to dance with you." Arnold said as he placed his hands on Helga's hips, "I knew you would say no if I asked, so…I didn't ask."

Helga smiled at his actions, "Looks like there is more to Arnold Shortman than I originally thought."

Arnold looked into Helga's eyes feeling the warmth of her body under the palms of his hands. Her eyes were so captivating they seemed to ensnare his mind and body, freezing his will to move. As they stood there, Helga leaned her face closer to his not breaking eye contact, he could feel his heart speeding up at her closeness. She looked into his eyes, studying him, he could feel her breath on his face as she spoke, "Hey football head, are we going to dance or just stand here like idiots?"

The sound of her laughing broke him of the trance it felt like he was in, "Um…yeah."

"Then let's dance." She said with a smile. Helga could see and feel that he was nervous, but didn't know why. They were friends and last she knew he had a girlfriend, one of which Phoebe and Gerald both had no kind words for. As they danced to the music, Helga would notice him looking at her but not staring, his gaze never lingered for too long. She couldn't help but notice how much he had grown since the last time she saw him, how he stood a few inches taller than her, probably about a foot or more without the heels she was wearing.

The dance was simple, a slow beat, not too much explored for the fact that she knew there were boundaries and she did not want to cross them. As they made their way back to the table, Phoebe and Gerald, along with a few of the others were gathering their things.

"Leaving?" She asked Phoebe.

"Yes. It is getting late and I have a report due in two days that I want to get started on with a fresh rested mind." Phoebe said as she tucked her wallet under her arm.

"Yeah it is probably time we get going as well." Helga said to Samuel and Isaac, both of which stood up in agreement.

Helga directed her attention to the group, "It was nice seeing you guys. We will have to do this again, or at least some of us could hang out and get lunch." The group then said their goodbyes, a few wanting to set up dates to hang out again and catch up more.

Samuel and Isaac were already heading to the car, Helga walked with Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold. They continued to talk amongst each other as they walked through the parking lot. It had gotten pretty dark, only light source being the one street light that would flicker every now and then. Phoebe and Gerald had already gotten in the car after saying goodbye to Helga, Phoebe giving Helga one last hug.

"Well, thanks for the dance Arnold. It was nice to see you again." Helga said as she walked closer to Arnold wrapping her arms around him. "I hope everything works out for you."

Arnold hugged Helga back tightly, "Thank you Helga…I hope it does too." Just before he pulled completely away he kissed her softly on the cheek, smiled and turned to the door of the car getting in.

Helga stood there a moment before she snapped herself out of it, she looked at Arnold, smiled and waved goodbye as she then made her way to where Samuel and Isaac were waiting.

As Helga made her way to the other side of the parking lot she began to get a strange feeling. This was the same feeling that she had gotten the night she had gotten the call from Simon and ended the night leaving her home. Helga quickened her pace, not liking the sinking feeling in her stomach, the feeling when hidden eyes are upon you from a dark place.

**Review please! :) more to follow. Hopefully it wont take too long to get the next few chapters up. **


	6. Chapter 6

**So, so, soooooooo sorry for it taking so long to get this next chapter up. Honestly my computer has not been the best lately and the severe writers block did not help. Please don't throw anything at me! I am back at it and my head is out of the clouds. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!**

**Chapter VI **

Arnold sat in the back of Gerald's car wondering why he kissed Helga. It was just on the cheek but still what force on earth possessed him to do even that, what if Kiera found out? Speaking of his girlfriend, Arnold realized that his phone was still off and was sure that it was probably full of various levels of ugly messages from her.

"Man, Helga really changed a lot." Gerald's voice broke Arnold's thoughts, momentarily going back to the beautiful image of Helga that had embedded itself into his mind.

Phoebe nodded, "She really has. I feel like I barely know her now, it has been so long since I last saw her." Her eyes going to her hands as she fidgeted in her seat a bit. Phoebe was very happy to see her best friend again but still sad at the fact that so much time had passed.

Gerald reached over and placed his right hand on Phoebe's, his left hand maintaining control of the vehicles direction with ease. She looked up to her boyfriend and gave a small smile at his comforting gesture.

"Well she is here now. Take advantage of it babe." His words were simple but like so many times before they comforted her more than he knew.

Arnold looked at the exchange between his two friends, a small hint of jealousy making itself known in the back of his mind. The kind of affection that Gerald and Phoebe showed towards one another was something foreign to his relationship with Keira. Sure it was great in the beginning but now there was just nothing but negativity and it was really starting to make the relationship unbearable.

The phone came to life as Arnold decided to see what the damage was and just how much more his patience could be pushed. As the screen popped up it was like his phone was in overdrive loading up all the messages and missed phone calls. A deep tiring sigh escaped him as he waited for his phone to stop processing the information.

It was still in the process of loading when Phoebe's phone rang to life in her purse. Reaching in to retrieve the device Phoebe's expression became that of confusion and a hint of worry.

"Um…Hello?" She immediately jerked the phone from her ear as the yelling caught her off guard and just stared at it with wide eyes.

The yelling was so loud that it caught the attention of Gerald and Arnold, both looking at Phoebe as she stared at her phone.

"Babe?" Gerald's voice broke her from her state of shock as she turned to face him, phone still a good distance from her face. Gerald knitted his brows together in question as his eyes went from Phoebe's face to her phone. "Who is it?"

Phoebe shot a glance back at Arnold and then to Gerald, he seemed to get the hint as he grabbed the phone from her.

"Keira?" Gerald's voice was no longer holding that soft tone as it was now replaced with a more firm one to address the woman on the other end.

"_Where is he?!"_ she yelled.

Gerald glanced up to the rear view mirror catching Arnold's surprised expression.

"Keira, you need to calm down." At that statement Gerald was now forced to remove the phone from his ear for fear of damage to his eardrum. Gerald just shared another glance at Phoebe who had a worried expression on her face, more so for the fact that he looked as if he were going to lose his temper any second.

All the while Arnold was reading through the messages that Keira had sent him, the last one reading, **Don't even think of coming home…..we are done!**

Arnold reached up with his free hand and grabbed the cell phone from Gerald and snapped it shut immediately ending the call. A small scowl present on his face but at the same time it was as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. If she was going to say something like that then why bother trying to figure out where he was?

Gerald looked back at his friend as he parked the car in front of the house. The engine died with the turn of the key and he turned in his seat, "You ok man?"

Arnold looked up to his best friend, a small smile now forming on his face, "Never been better."

Gerald raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what he meant so no need to press the matter.

"Hey Phoebe?" Arnold spoke up.

"Hmm?" she looked back at Arnold with a tad bit of worry still playing on her soft features.

"I'm sorry about that. If you would like I can go in and block her number so she won't be able to do that again?" his expression was one of embarrassment for the actions of his now _ex-girlfriend_. Phoebe nodded her head and smiled at Arnold thanking him.

All three got out of the car and started walking towards the house, Arnold handing Phoebe her phone after he had done what he suggested. Gerald unlocked the door and stepped aside to allow the other two inside before himself. He placed a hand on Arnold's shoulder which caused him to pause in his steps.

"Look man, I'd like to say I'm sorry for you know what you are going through but…." Taking a second to think about where he was going with this he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "well you know how I felt about…well you know. Anyways, you are welcome to crash here as long as you need man."

Phoebe stopped in her place just inside the front hall, "Absolutely, make yourself at home Arnold. I will go get the guest room set up for you."

Arnold looked between the two of them, a sheepish smile now on his face, "You guys don't have-"

"Arnold…you are not going to win this." Gerald said with a smirk. "Consider it our version of rehab to get the old Arnold back." Arnold chuckled at his statement and settle for just nodding his agreement.

Gerald patted his back as he beamed, a big smile on his face now, "Good!"

**Helga's apartment…**

Flopping down on the bed and kicking off the shoes that had gradually become more and more uncomfortable through the course of the night, Helga let out a satisfied sigh of relief. She was just happy to finally be back in the privacy of her temporary apartment and bedroom. Laying back on the bed, placing her hands behind her head she closed her eyes thinking about how the night had been a success.

A soft knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts and she sat up on her bed, "Yeah?"

"Helga? It Samuel." Helga smiled as she opened the door revealing the very person. He smiled down at her as he spoke again, "Simon will be here any minute, figured you might like to know."

"Thank you Samuel." She nodded. He did the same and then turned to make his way back into the living room area. Helga closed her door once more and opted to change out of her dress into more comfortable clothing. Settling on a pair of black silk shorts that stopped mid-thigh and a matching top that luckily didn't reveal too much. She grabbed her pink and silver robe putting it on in one swift motion leaving the front open, she let her hair down and walked out into the living room area where Isaac and Samuel were.

Both looked up at her when she came into view, Samuel sending her a sweet smile and Isaac a small smirk. Samuel was once again at the computer typing away furiously while Isaac lounged on the couch. Helga walked over to the couch and flopped down, not so lady like, with a satisfied groan. Isaac gave her a look raising his eyebrow before returning to his phone once again.

Helga smirked as she noticed how into his device he was and not really paying her any mind. She took the opportunity to swing her legs up and onto his lap before he had a chance to react.

"Wha-what the?!" he shot his hands up almost launching his phone in the process. His look of surprise made Helga giggle and he turned to her with slightly less widened eyes. "What are you doing?"

Helga pouted her lip and shrugged her shoulders like it was the most natural thing, "Just making myself comfortable." She turned her head to the back of the couch as she spoke so that she could now see out of the window it was placed against.

"Seriously?" his expression almost immediately flattened at her response. Lowering his raised arms and crossing them over his chest as to protest her actions.

Helga didn't even bother to look at him as she spoke again, "Is there a problem?"

Isaac groaned at her, "You don't just go around propping your legs up on people."

Still not looking at him, "It's just my legs, I didn't think you would mind."

"And why would you think that?" He raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed.

"You've been touched by more than my bare legs so I didn't think you would freak out." Still not making eye contact, but she could feel him tense up under her legs. The desk chair made a small squeak as she guessed Samuel must have turned around at that statement.

"Is that so?" A new voice in the room made her jump, immediately jerking her legs off of Isaac. All eyes shot towards the intruder preparing for trouble. The response was followed by a low chuckle, "Seems like I missed a bit."

Her shocked expression almost immediately relaxed as she saw Simon standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a small smirk present.

No one spoke right away, still trying to take in the shock of him seeming to just appear out of thin air. Helga rose from the couch and walked over to him enveloping him in a friendly hug before turning back to the others.

"Good to see you made it." Samuel finally spoke up as he stood from his chair. Isaac was slower at standing but did so none the less sending Simon a friendly smile.

"Good to see you three haven't killed one another. Then again it seems like some have been getting along better than I thought." He raised a questioning eyebrow as he looked at Isaac and Helga. His smirk widened as they both shared a look of shock and slight horror before trying to speak.

"What?! No, no, no, no….it isn't what you think AT ALL." Helga started pointed frantically between herself and Isaac. This only seemed to amuse Simon more as he watched her. "You see what had happened was I was showering and….well I didn't lock the door. Ya know cause they are here and all..and well I didn't hear it open and I stepped out….."

"I saw her naked." Isaac said flatly and to Helga's horror. Isaac just shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing and put his hands in his pants pockets. Helga groaned and slapped her forehead closing her eyes at the embarrassing memory. "No big deal."

It was silent, well all except for Samuel's ever growing snickering at the mention of the incident. Helga let out a long sigh, "I'm going to my room." Before she could walk away she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Simon looking at her with an amused expression.

"As much as I enjoyed this whole explanation of your debacle, I do have a few things that I need to discuss with the three of you." He started looking at each one of them motioning for them to sit down.

They did just that with the exception of Helga now taking notice to sit a tad farther from Isaac, the embarrassment still fresh in her mind. That all but went out the window with Simon's opening statement.

"We know who killed your partner." The look on his face was now serious and Helga could feel the knot forming in her throat.

**So not a super long chapter but at least it is up and going again. Please R&amp;R. **

**Side note: For those readers that have read and are waiting on an update of my other Hey Arnold fic, my other computer crashed and I lost everything so it is going to take longer before it is updated. Please have patience with me and thanks to those who have! **


	7. Chapter 7

**So next chapter is up! I would like to thank everyone that took the time to read and an even bigger thanks to those that took the time to write a review. Believe it or not getting new reviews really helps to fuel the want to continue writing more. Anyways :) a little drama introduced here but it is only the beginning. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold **

**Chapter VII**

**Gerald and Phoebe's Place….**

Gerald and Arnold both sat on the couch in the living room watching a series of sports game replays when a furious knock came from the front door. Gerald looked to Arnold as he got up from his comfortable spot on the couch and slowly made his way to the front door. He looked through the peep hole to see the one person that has done nothing but make his blood boil since the night of the karaoke bar get together.

Gerald looked back to Arnold and mouthed 'it's her', pointing to the door as another hard knock was made. Arnold rolled his eyes, he hated being this way but how else could someone be towards the person that was slowly making his life a living hell. Arnold shook his head and quickly walked up the stairs to the spare bedroom.

Gerald opened the door to reveal a very angry looking Keira, "And what can I do for you this fine day?" the sarcasm thick with each and every word.

"I know he is in here and I want to talk to him now!" her voice was steadily rising as she spoke and made to push passed Gerald to enter the house.

"No." Gerald stated simply stepping in front of her so as to block her way in. Keira glared up at Gerald and he glared right back. Gerald was usually a very hospitable person but when it came to someone with such a nasty attitude and personality the best of him was pushed aside.

"You tell him to get down here right now or we are over." She hissed at him.

Gerald scoffed at her empty threat, "What just like you said three days ago….oh and last night again when you decided to harass him non-stop with text messages and phone calls. Keira you need to leave…Now!" he pointed passed her, the look on his face becoming angry as the woman continued to stand her ground.

"What are you his keeper?! I can see him whenever I please." She made to step around him once again which he in turn stepped in front of her again.

"Last time I checked this is my house. I will let who I please into my house. You are…as far as I can remember, not welcome. So I suggest you leave before I call someone to remove you." Gerald started to reach for his phone when she scoffed and stomped off towards her car. Gerald watched her speed away before closing the front door locking it.

He let out an aggravated sigh running his hand over his face, "You really know how to pick 'em Arnold." Gerald said loud enough for Arnold to hear him in his room.

Arnold stepped out of his room a second later, "Tell me about it. My phone has been going off non-stop."

Gerald shook his head at his best friend, "I'm just glad Phoebe wasn't here this time. I have never seen that girl get so mad before and frankly it scares me." He chuckled at the last part.

No sooner than the words left his mouth, Gerald's phone started to ring, "Speaking of said scary girl." Gerald laughed.

"Hey babe, how was your lunch date with Helga?" the mention of Helga's name caught Arnold's attention much faster than he would have thought possible.

"_Hello. It was great, I have invited her over for dinner."_

"Is that so?" Gerald shared a smirk with Arnold who remained oblivious.

"_Mhm. Will that be ok? I know it is short notice."_

"That is fine Phoebe. I will see you girls soon."

"_See you soon!" _her excited voice rang through the phone before the call ended.

**20 minutes later…..**

Gerald and Arnold had resumed their previous positions in the living room watching the sports channel when the sound of keys and a lock clicking could be heard.

"Gerald?" Phoebe's small voice echoed through the house.

"In here babe!" Gerald answered as he directed his attention to the open doorway of the living room. Phoebe walked in a moment later followed by Helga. Arnold was still drawn into the T.V. and did not see Helga walk in with Phoebe.

"Well hey there football head. How have you been?" Helga's voice snapped Arnold out of his stupor.

Arnold whipped his head in Helga's direction, a little surprise showing on his face, "Oh, Helga…um hi. I'm good and yourself?"

Helga giggled a bit, "Oh I'm great. Got to spend the day with Phoebe so couldn't get any better."

Arnold smiled softly at her, "That's good." He and Gerald adjusted themselves so that the girls would have place to sit. Phoebe sitting curled up next to Gerald with his arm wrapped protectively around her small frame and Helga sitting next the Arnold. The four of them decided to change to a movie of sorts to pass the time.

It was starting to get late when Phoebe stood from her place next to Gerald, "I'm going to get dinner started before it gets too late."

Helga stood right after, "I need to step outside and make a call. I will be in to help you as soon as I am done ok Pheebs." Phoebe nodded and both headed in separate directions.

Helga opened the door not really paying attention as she went through her list of contacts to call Samuel. She figured she needed to let them know that she would probably be later than usual if she didn't crash at her best friend's house so they wouldn't worry. Helga was stopped mid-step when she noticed that someone was standing right outside the door. She looked up to see a woman around her age, skinny, almost sickly with reddish brown hair staring daggers at her.

"And who the hell are you?!" the woman yelled.

Helga just looked at her with wide eyes, taken a little aback by her strange outburst. She raised an eyebrow, "Well that depends."

The woman seemed to grow even angrier at Helga's answer, "I see he moves on fast. Didn't even let the sheets at home get cold before he let someone help him warm some new ones."

"Excuse me?" now it was Helga's turn to get angry. She did not appreciate being accused of anything by anyone, especially if she didn't know them. "Who the hell are you anyways?"

The woman scoffed, "I can see already that you are a winner and a half. Sleeping with another girl's boyfriend!"

At this point Helga was becoming infuriated, she took a slow step towards the girl whom she now realized was the crazy ex that Phoebe had been telling her about on their lunch date. "Let me make something crystal clear here. You do not know me but I have heard a lot about you and from what I heard I don't like. I am not sleeping with your EX-boyfriend but if I was I can guarantee I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now. You have been harassing my friends and now have insulted me which is a bad move on your part. I was known around these parts for having quite the temper….would you like to see it first hand?" Helga's voice became low and gruff as she spoke menacingly to the girl before her.

Keira seemed to think about it for a moment before speaking, "I will talk to him no bimbo is going to stand in my way of that. And if you really wanted to do something you would have done it already instead of standing here voicing it. To me you are nothing but a coward with a big-"

She was cut off as Helga reared her arm back, fist balled and planted it right across her face sending her straight to the ground. Helga walked up to the girl as she sat up holding her nose, the blood dripping onto her lime green top, "Just remember you brought that on yourself." Helga turned to walk back inside.

"You broke my freaking nose!" Keira yelled as she stood up.

Helga looked back at the girl over her shoulder, "I'll break more than that if I see you again." Helga walked back into the house and straight into the kitchen where Phoebe was preparing the vegetables for her stir-fry. Helga settle for just texting Samuel as she was afraid of sounding too angry on the phone and worrying him.

Phoebe looked up from the vegetables to see that Helga had a far off look in her eyes. "Um Helga, are you alright?" Phoebe placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Huh?...oh yeah, I'm fine." Helga tried to smile but Phoebe being Phoebe and knowing Helga better than anyone wasn't buying it.

Phoebe noticed Helga's hand was a bit red, "Helga what happened to your hand. Did you punch something?"

Helga chuckled as she looked at her hand as well, "In a sense." Helga raised her eyes to meet Phoebe's worried ones, "Let's just say that there was someone unwelcome at the door when I opened it and they didn't heed my warning."

"Oh Helga…" before Phoebe could continue they heard Gerald's hysterical laughter coming from the living room.

"No way! That is awesome!" Gerald yelled.

A few moments later Arnold walk into the kitchen, "Hey Helga can I talk to you for a moment?" He looked up but instead of a scowl like Helga expected there was a soft smile on his face.

"Um…sure football head." Helga glanced at Phoebe before walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the guest room. Helga walked in ahead of Arnold and sat down on the edge of the bed watching Arnold walk in and slowly pull the door shut.

"Why do I feel like I am in trouble?" Helga started with a pout like a child.

Arnold chuckled at her behavior, he took a seat next to her on the bed and turned himself so that he was facing her. "I hear that you met my ex, Keira?" he started.

"You could say that." Helga said back crossing her arms over her chest.

"Helga, as much as I appreciate it and trust me I do, you didn't have to go and hit her." He said through a long sigh.

Helga raised an eyebrow, "Look I gave the girl an opportunity to walk away which she didn't. Instead she decided to insult me more after she had already accused me of sleeping with you." Arnold's eyes shot wide open for a second. "I'm guessing she left that part out?"

He didn't speak as Helga turned her body so that she was now facing his, "Look, you along with everyone else, know that I do not take kindly to being insulted and talked to like that."

Arnold let out a sigh, "Even still she didn't deserve that Helga."

Helga looked at Arnold with slight shock and anger, "No…she deserved more than a hit to the face from what I have heard."

"And what exactly have you heard?" Arnold now had a little bite to his word which was something Helga had never really witnessed.

"I have heard enough." Helga hissed back, her temper once again threatening to flare up.

Arnold ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "No matter what you have heard Helga, you had no right to-"

Helga held a hand up to silence him before he could go any further, "I get it, I don't know the whole story but when someone is constantly harassing the people I care about and then insults me when they don't even know me I can't help but get defensive. Even if my action led to me hitting her I stand by what I did whole heartedly and if she does it again I will not hesitate to once again put her in her place."

Helga stood from the bed and walked towards the door to leave, she did not want to end a good day on a sour note. She reached a hand for the door but before she could open it she was spun around and compressed into his chest, Arnold's chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her and for a moment Helga was frozen in place unable to respond. The sound of his chuckling brought her out of her daze and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Even if I don't fully agree with your methods, I still appreciate you standing up for me." He whispered into her ear. Helga felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine at the feel of his breath on her skin.

"Anytime football head." she answered. "You've changed since last time."

"Hmm. How so?" he asked with genuine curiosity, pulling back to put a little distance between the two of them. He looked at Helga as she seemed to study his face, her hand going to his hair and her fingers slowly running through it. Arnold tried his best to hide the shiver the feeling gave him and suppress the small moan that was threatening to come out as she did it a few more times. She then placed her hand on his cheek as she stared into his eyes.

"Your eyes have dulled. I don't like it." She said as her beautiful blue eyes looked deep into his, she leaned in closer causing his heart to beat slightly faster. She was close enough for their noses to touch at this point but her eyes never left his, "The life seems to have been drained from them." Her voice held a hint of sadness as did her eyes.

Arnold realized as she continued to stare into his eyes that they had slowly moved their bodies closer and closer, the small gap between them disappearing. He felt the knot form in his throat as he swallowed, his mouth suddenly becoming very dry. He was trying his best to not let his nervousness show on his face but he was sure there was a slight blush visible on his face. What was even more strange to him was the fact that he was becoming this way because of Helga, the girl that use to pick on him non-stop and call him names. The girl that would pull pranks on him and always acted like she hated him. The girl that was now standing in front of him, more beautiful than he could have ever imagined that she would be but still held that ferocity.

Helga leaned in a bit more causing her lips to brush against his as she spoke, "You've gotten taller though. I like that change."

Without thinking Arnold slowly started to move forward, his heart speeding up with every passing second. He placed his hand on her soft cheek as he leaned in closer…

Knocking on the door followed by Gerald's voice made them both snap back putting as much distance in between them, "Hey you two dinner is almost ready." Arnold and Helga shared a quick glance as he walked to open the door.

"Thanks Gerald." Arnold said as he opened the door to see Gerald standing there with a smirk. Gerald looked back and forth between the two of them before his smirk grew wider.

"Mm, mm, mm." was all he said as he turned around to walk back down the stairs, the smirk still present on his face.

Arnold turned to look at Helga who was standing awkwardly by the bed, "Well we better get down there before he sends Phoebe up here to get us." Helga seemed to lighten up at the little joke and walked towards the door. Arnold stood off to the side to let her pass by but she stopped just as she stepped in front of him. Arnold watched her with mild curiosity as she quickly turned and kissed him on the cheek.

Helga shared one last glance at Arnold before walking out of the room and down the stairs. Arnold stood still for a moment as he processed what all had just happened. Just moments ago he was kind of arguing with Helga, then for some unknown reason he had stopped her from leaving and hugged her. To top it off he was about to kiss her just before Gerald interrupted and then she kisses him on the cheek. Arnold could feel a headache coming on thinking about all of this.

"What am I getting myself into?" he asked himself as he walked down the stairs to join his friends.

**So Helga showed a little of her tough/sensitive side here and Arnold was a little, well not so Arnold but hey crazy people will do that to ya! Please read AND review! The reviews really do mean a lot! Thank you :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**So finally got a new chapter up. A tad bit of violence but nothing that couldn't equal previous events. Sorry to those that have been waiting for a new chapter, I have been distracted. My apologies but I want to say thank you to those that have waited patiently. I actually got inspiration to finally write this chapter while listening to Theory of a Deadman-Make Up Your Mind. Don't ask why. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. **

**Chapter VIII**

**The Apartment….**

Simon, Samuel and Isaac sat at the small kitchen table in silence. The news coming to them for the past few days was becoming more and more troubling.

"What do you suggest we do?" Samuel finally spoke up looking at Simon. He seemed to be in deep thought as he sat with his chin propped on his hands. Silence had overtaken them for a while now and it was getting to the point of madness.

A loud sigh of irritation escaped Isaac at the silent answer to Samuel's question. "Look we cannot just sit here and let something happen to her. We need to do something, now." The aggravation was clear and continued to grow as he spoke.

Simon finally looked up to the two men sitting across from him, "She stays." His simple answer was just that, simple, and it seemed to infuriate Isaac more.

"What?!" Isaac slammed his fists down onto the table, an audible crack heard at the contact. "If we do that they will find her. They are already on her trail as it is, you know that! Now you want to simply sit here and wait for them to take her away and do who knows what with her?!"

"Boss, maybe we should consider moving her-" Samuel spoke calmly to only be interrupted by Simon's sudden outburst.

"She stays here! I will not repeat myself again! Understood?!" his eyes snapped up at the two men before standing quickly.

Isaac felt shock resonate through him hearing that Simon was unwilling to move Helga now that those people had found out where she was. Samuel placed a hand on his friends shoulder as it began to shake with anger, the calming gesture didn't work as he stood abruptly from his seated position.

"So what will you have then, huh? It almost sounds like you do not care that she may perish!" Isaac stalked over to Simon who stood stock still with an unreadable expression on his face. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you made that call? They managed to get their filthy hands on her and she was nearly taken for good. Is that what you wish to happen brother?"

Simon furrowed his brow as he looked at Isaac, the anger coming off of his form in waves and filling the room with tension thick enough to be suffocating. "That is not what I wish and you know that." He hissed.

Isaac scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I would like very much to believe that, however, it would seem odd how you suggest this with such calm."

Simon narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Do you really believe that I want to see her life taken? That could not be further from the truth, Isaac." He took a few slow steps forward and raised his glare to meet an equally intense one, "Your feelings are clouding your mind, you are thinking with ignorance."

The tension grew thicker at Simon's words and Samuel took the opportunity to stand. He has seen Simon snap before and it never ended without blood.

Isaac shot Simon a venomous glare and opened his mouth to speak only to be halted by the pained groan that left him. A hand was now wrapped tightly around his throat and his back slammed into the nearby wall. Instinctively reaching up to grab at the hand that held him in place, Isaac opened his eyes slightly and gritted his teeth.

"You will question and insult my intelligence no further, understood?" The calm now in Simon's voice was intimidating and dark, "Do not think for a second that you are the only one that cares for Helga. Although your feelings may be slightly different, I care just as much."

A hand landed softly yet firmly on Simon's outstretched arm, "Simon, now is not the time for bloodshed." He watched Simon's eyes flicker with anger then dull out, "We will help in any way we can but this," he nodded his head in the direction of the arm that held Isaac's throat, "is not helping anyone right now."

A long weary sigh and groan were heard before Simon finally released Isaac. He dropped his arm at his side and turned swiftly heading for the front door, "Where is she now?"

Wasting no time Samuel spoke up, "She is with a friend of hers, and she will be staying with them tonight from what she has told me."

Simon nodded his head in acknowledgement and opened the door quickly slipping out without another word.

Isaac raised a hand up to his throat sucking in a long deep breath that was hindered earlier by the hand of the man he called friend and boss. His breathing was a bit ragged at first but slowly went back into its usual rhythmic pattern. Dark marks now the only evidence of the encounter would be gone soon enough leaving only the memory of the encounter as its existence.

"You my friend are stupid." Samuel said with slight amusement shaking his head slowly and shooting a sideways glance at Isaac.

A quick glare shot at Samuel was the only response to his comment as Isaac walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch let his head fall back onto the soft cushioned back and closed his eyes taking a deep calming breath. Samuel walked in a moment later and looked at Isaac before sitting down in the chair at the small desk.

"I have never seen him that angry." Isaac spoke up, eyes still shut as he spoke aloud.

"Hmm. Yes, it has been quite some time since he lashed out at anyone." Samuel sighed nodding his head.

"So you have seen his temperament in full?" the interest in his voice as he spoke but not making a move from his previous position.

"Yes. I would have to say that you are lucky." Samuel looked down for a moment before speaking again, "Do not think that he doesn't care for her, he does. He has lost a lot in his time and has come to terms that he cannot save everyone he cares for. With that being said though, he will try his hardest to make sure he doesn't experience loss again. If there is a reason for keeping her here then trust it."

A chuckle filled the room before he spoke again, "I forget how long you two have known one another."

"It would be wise to remember that particular fact from here on out." The feminine voice startled both men as the woman walked into the living room. "Hello boys."

"What are you doing here?" Isaac said with disgust as he sat back down on the couch. "Shouldn't you been stuck up Simon's a-"

"Isaac." The warning tone in Samuel's voice silenced him from going any further. He then directed his attention to the woman as well, "As much as I do not agree with my friend's current state of hostility I have to ask as well, what are you doing here Rose?"

The woman chuckled covering her crimson lips with her delicate fingers, "Well, how is that for a greeting. No hello?" Neither of the two men spoke up. With a huff and a slightly irritated glare at the two she spoke again, "Well, if you must know I have come to let Simon know of the movements of them."

"He stepped out." Isaac shot at the woman that stood so comfortably in the living room.

As if on cue the figure of another stepped from the hallway, "Hello Rose. What is it you need to tell me?" Simon spoke in his usual casual tone, almost no indicator of the previous incident showing in his voice or appearance.

With a seemingly innocent smile, Rose spoke again, "It would seem that those feared have made no move to pursue just yet. They seem to be calculating something and it may bode ill for more than just your dear Helga."

**Back at Phoebe's and Gerald's Place….**

Arnold lay on the soft couch in the living room, sleep not coming to him so easily. The events before dinner still running through his mind wildly. Dinner had been somewhat quiet between him and Helga but luckily he had Gerald to talk to so his mind had a small distraction for the moment.

Now staring at the ceiling he wondered what might be going through Helga's mind. If maybe this whole thing was one-sided and he was a fool for letting everything get to him like it was.

He let out a low sigh before closing his eyes trying to force sleep to come to his rescue.

…**..**

Meanwhile, Helga lay in the guest bedroom on top of the comforter that covered the queen sized bed. She was beginning to think she was losing her mind for letting the thoughts of what transpired between her and Arnold earlier take over her ever thought.

_Sure I had a thing for him but that was sooooo long ago. No way that in the short time I have spent with him could those feelings return, no, they can't. Not now, not when I may have to pick up at any second and leave. And what if I risk his life as well, they wouldn't hesitate to use something or someone against me, would they? _

With an aggravated sigh she grabbed a pillow and plopped it over her head in frustration.

"Maybe if I just smother myself now I could solve all those problems." She mumbled into the cloth that covered her entire head. She breathed in deep knowing that soon she would need to move the pillow to get a good dose of oxygen. With a quick jerk of her arms, she threw the pillow across the room and sat up. "Great, now I am taking my frustration out on innocent pillows. All you did was try to comfort me and I threw you across the room." She pouted.

She held her head down and chuckled at her moment, "Much like what I do to actual living things. Once they try to get close and try to help me, I push them away."

With another glance at the crumpled pillow that now lay on the floor she groaned and rubbed her face furiously with her hand. "I need a glass of water." Shifting so that her legs now hung off of the bed, she stood and walked out of the room and down to the kitchen.

As silently as she could she poured her a glass of water and downed it quickly before setting the glass on the counter top. She heard a rustle coming from the living room and immediately tensed up. Taking silent steps she walked slowly towards the sound, all the while thinking, _this is how people end up dying in those horror movies._

More movement could be heard as she got closer followed by what sounded like an agitated groan. She slowly poked her head around the door frame and peered into the dark room. No light was on but the light filtering in through the curtain provided enough to illuminate just enough to make out the various objects and furniture.

Another groan came from the couch and her attention went to it quickly. She looked to the couch in time to dodge a pillow being tossed hard in her direction.

She gasped loudly which made the figure sit up quickly on the couch and then light flooded the room. The bright light stunned Helga momentarily, she blinked several times focusing her eyes.

"He-Helga?" Her eyes darted over to the source of the voice and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Arnold? What are you doing down here?" She raised an eyebrow and walked slowly into the room after picking up the pillow, "I see you are beating up defenseless pillows too, huh?"

"Huh? Pillows?" He tilted his head to the side at her strange comment.

Waving her hand dismissively, "Never mind. What are you doing down here? Why didn't you take the other guest room?"

"Oh," Arnold scratched the back of his head. He didn't want to tell her that sleeping that close to her was sending his mind into overdrive. Then again, coming to the living room didn't seem to help either. "The couch is more comfortable." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled sheepishly.

"Seriously?" Helga giggled, "You expect me to buy that load?"

He chuckled at her before turning so that his legs were now over the side of the couch leaving the space open for her to sit. Patting the couch he looked up to her and smiled, "See for yourself."

Helga shrugged, "Not like I have other plans. Sleep doesn't seem to be my friend tonight." She sat down on the couch with a huff and sunk back into the comfortable cushion. "Mmmm. You're right."

"Hmm?" he looked to Helga as she cuddled into the couch.

"The couch is more comfortable than that bed." She hummed as she settled in comfortably. "Oh! Hang on." She jumped off of the couch and ran out of the living room leaving a startled Arnold sitting on the couch.

A moment later she returned with a pillow and the comforter that was on her bed. She placed the pillow at the opposite end Arnold was sitting and curled up into a ball with the comforter wrapped around her body. "Now, that is much better."

Arnold chuckled at her, "So you are taking my sleeping spot now?"

"Ha. I don't see your name on it Arnold-o." She said playfully. "Besides, the couch was calling to me while I was upstairs. I am just cooperating with its wishes."

He shook his head slowly with a smile, "Whatever you say Helga."

"Want to watch a movie? Since sleep seems to be evading both of us." Arnold spoke up after a minute and pointed to the T.V.

Helga looked up and shrugged her shoulders, "Sure. Make it an action." She smiled as he rummaged through the collection of movies Gerald had.

After putting the movie in, he sat back down on the couch and hit play. Helga sat up and curled her legs up so her chin could rest on her knees.

A little into the movie Helga decided to offer Arnold some of the comforter to cover himself with and the two watched in comfortable silence. It was something foreign to her though, when she was younger she longed for this opportunity and now here she was sitting here watching movies with the boy she used to love.

The sweet thought was short lived once she thought of the particular problem that followed her. She figure she could never be truly happy knowing that she was being pursued so viciously.

Helga sank back into the couch with the negative thoughts, now not even paying attention to the movie as she continued to think. Time wasn't on her mind and she didn't know exactly how late it was but she could feel sleep creeping up on her now. She began to sway a bit and her eyelids drooped, the heaviness making it hard to keep them open.

Arnold had been throwing all of his attention into the movie instead of the girl that sat silently beside him. His focus was impressing even him at this point until he felt pressure on his left shoulder. With a quick glance he froze in place, Helga's head was now resting on his shoulder. Her breathing was slow and even indicating that she had fallen asleep.

Arnold looked down at the once childhood bully of his and sighed. She looked so fragile laying there, even though he knew full well that was far from the truth. He chuckled a bit which made the girl shift slightly next to him.

His cheeks lit up when she shifted again and her head landing in his lap, even jumping slightly. Quickly but carefully her lifted her up so that she was once again sitting up. He poked her cheek to try and get her to wake up so that she could go to her bed, nothing. With no luck waking the sleeping girl he tried to stand up so that he could help her lay down.

He was able to get her laid down with her head on the pillow she had brought down, "Jeez you are a heavy sleeper." He mumbled as he pulled the blanket over her.

Taking one last look he then turned to go back to the guest room he had been in when a hand suddenly snatched his wrist back. "Stay."

"Helga?" He turned to look down at her as she shifted again to look up at him with heavy eyes.

She sat up and grabbed the pillow she had been laying on. Patting the open space she looked back to Arnold. He hesitated before slowly turning and sitting down in the spot she had patted. The couch was basically one big comfy cushion so leaning on the arm rest was not uncomfortable.

The uncomfortable part came when Helga laid the pillow on his lap once he had gotten comfortable and then laid her head on it. He tensed at the weight now on him and held his arms up, unsure exactly where to place them that would be deemed appropriate. With a defeated and slightly embarrassed sigh he settled for placing his arm around Helga's shoulder and rested the other on the arm rest.

Helga nestled herself into the pillow more and hummed softly. "Thanks, football head."

Arnold chuckled lightly, "Any time." A moment later her breathing once again became slow and even. He laid his head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling for a long while, confusion and slight fear filling his mind. He was unsure what exactly he should be feeling and at the same time knew exactly what he was supposed to be feeling. With another long sigh he closed his eyes feeling the headache returning as he continued to think about everything.

**Back at the apartment…..**

"So what you are saying is they are not going to target her?" Simon asked slowly.

Rose nodded her head, "For now at least. They seem to be standing on the side watching and waiting for the right opportunity to use something that will draw her out without much effort."

With an agitated groan Simon spoke again, "Looks like we will have to watch more than just Helga then."

**R&amp;R. Let me know what you awesome readers think. There will be darker scenes to follow so the rating for this story may be altered. I will post a warning at the beginning of the chapter so I suggest you read them. Thank you :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I was finally able to sit and write out another chapter to the fanfic. I am sorry it has taken so long but life has been busy. Anyways, for those that have been waiting on this next chapter here ya go. I will be trying to get more done this weekend so hopefully I will be able to submit more after this and much sooner. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. **

**Chapter IX**

Arnold woke to the feel of someone poking him in the forehead and groaned at the disturbance. The annoyance didn't stop and he moved to swat at the person that was killing his peaceful state. His movement triggered realization; there was a weight on his chest that he didn't remember right away. A light chuckling had his eyes flying open and he looked up to see Gerald standing above him with his hands on his hips, a curious eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk plastered on his face.

"Mm, mmm, mmm. I'll give you two some privacy but just know that breakfast will be ready soon and I promise that you don't want to miss it." Gerald studied Arnold's reaction for a second before chuckling again and walking out of the living room.

As Arnold shifted his body a groan echoed throughout the room and it didn't belong to him. He froze and looked down, his eyes widening and the memories from the night before flooded back. What he couldn't figure out was how the two ended up in their current positions.

Helga groaned again as she shifted her weight moving her hand that rested on his stomach to his chest and clenched his shirt in her fist. Her left leg moved between Arnold's legs and somehow had him pinned with his back pressed against the back of the couch. She stilled after nuzzling her head into his chest and her breathing became slow and rhythmic again.

The small movements had Arnold's heart racing and his body heating up. All he wanted to do was find a way to wiggle his way out of this girl's grip and run for it for fear of her seeing the fierce blush that covered his face. An audible gulp came from him next as Helga readjusted her leg between his and pressed herself closer to him. This was complete torture and he even considered just pushing her off of him and hope she wouldn't hit the floor with too much force.

He didn't have to think for long as Gerald walked back into the living room with a look of amusement on his face. "Alright you two get off my couch!" he said in a voice loud enough to jolt Helga. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Once again Arnold froze as she slowly took in her current position and he felt her body tense. With a slow movement her head moved to face his, her eyes slightly wide and a faint blush filling her face.

Arnold inwardly groaned at the sight, she was so cute with that look and the way she was laying halfway on him with his shirt clenched in her fist. The sound of Gerald chuckling caused Helga to yelp and jump away from Arnold. At the same time, Arnold found himself reaching for her trying to prevent her from plummeting to the floor. In the movement Helga instinctively reached for him as well and successfully grabbed his shirt again. Arnold was unable to react to the shift in weight and was pulled off of the couch landing on top of Helga. Luckily he was quick enough to plant his hands on either side of her head supporting most of his weight from crushing her underneath him.

Helga had shut her eyes tight waiting for the full weight of Arnold to land on her. When the feeling never came she slowly opened her eyes and tensed. Holding in a gasp at the sight of him hovering over her she stared at his equally shocked expression. It was Helga's turn to gulp this time at the feel of his lower body pressed against hers. The warmth from his body intensified her own and she could feel the heat rushing to her face. "Um…" was all she could manage in a small voice.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the two to jump and look in the direction of the person. Gerald stood in the doorway with a smirk, "When you two are done, breakfast is ready." With that he turned and walked back out of the living room.

Helga and Arnold looked at one another before awkwardly moving from their current position. Arnold carefully moved to stand and offered his hand to help Helga stand as well. She took his offered hand and stood giving him a small thanks before turning quickly towards the exit. Arnold let out a long sigh before following.

**A few hours later….**

Gerald, Phoebe, Arnold and Helga found themselves at the mall walking around aimlessly. Helga walked next to Phoebe in front of the guys talking about nothing and everything. Conversation between Helga and Arnold had been nonexistent after the morning's incident and Gerald wasn't helping the situation by throwing in a comment here and there. His constant smirking when teasing the two had Helga ready to deck him right then and there but thanks to Phoebe, Helga was distracted enough to leave the beating for another time.

"So are you two as hungry as I am?" Gerald spoke from behind Phoebe and Helga. The girls stopped and turned to look at the two behind them.

"I could eat." Phoebe answered and looked to Helga who was avoiding eye contact. "What about you Helga?"

Helga looked at Phoebe and shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."

"Arnold?" Gerald threw his arm around Arnold's shoulders and shook him lightly with a huge grin.

Arnold looked at Gerald with a small smile, "Sounds good."

"Alright!" Gerald dropped his arm and then clapped his hands together. He walked away from Arnold and wrapped an arm around Phoebe's waist which caused the small girl to blush and giggle. Arnold walked towards the group stopping next to Helga and the two looked at Gerald, "How's about-" he was cut off mid-sentence when a blonde girl suddenly yelled Arnold's name. The group turned with shock and looked at the girl as she approached him with an angry finger pointed at him.

"So it's true!" Her raised voice was starting to catch the attention of passerby's. As if her yelling before didn't get enough attention, she was now standing about a foot from Arnold and was poking him in the chest roughly. "I heard you were seeing someone behind Keira's back." The girl seethed as she glared at Helga.

"What?" Arnold asked in clear disbelief.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Gerald said as he ran his hand over his face in frustration, "What the hell did that psycho tell you huh?"

"That this jerk was seeing some bimbo behind her back. She has been in a constant emotional state since she found out the other day and even worse since this boyfriend stealer hit her." The girl looked at Helga with absolute hatred, "I told Keira I would make sure you paid for that." She walked towards Helga.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The sound of another female's voice stopped the girl and she whipped her head in the direction it came from. "You are in over your head and it would be best if you stopped while you still have the chance."

"And just who the hell are you?!" The blonde girl snarled at the stranger.

"I am your warning." The woman spoke calmly.

The blonde obviously wasn't in the mood to be told what to do and turned back to Helga. She went to speak again when Helga pushed passed the girl. The shock on her face was evident as she dropped her hand and stared at Helga as she approached the other woman.

"What are you doing here?" Helga snarled as she stopped mere inches from the other woman only to get a chuckle in response.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head Helga. We aren't going to be doing anything with you anytime soon." The woman said just loud enough for Helga to hear. "Walk with me?"

Helga glared at the woman and then looked back to the others. She noticed the strange blonde was staring with as much shock and confusion as the others and rolled her eyes. "I'll be back." She looked back to the woman before walking towards Phoebe. "Do me a favor, " Helga whispered as she handed Phoebe her phone, "call Samuel and tell him Victoria is here. That is all you will need to say okay."

Phoebe nodded hesitantly and gave Helga a worried look as she took the phone. Helga looked at the others before turning and walking back towards the other woman.

"Hey," Helga felt a hand grab her shoulder and turned to see the rude blonde girl, "I wasn't finished talking to you!"

"Well, I was done talking to you." Helga said in a monotone voice. "I have more important matters to deal with right now than you." Helga turned and continued walking towards Victoria who stood with her arms crossed and a smug grin. "Let's go."

Helga looked over her shoulder and saw the look on Phoebe's face as she held the phone to her ear and the blonde girl waving her arms around animatedly as she argued with Arnold and Gerald. It wasn't long before she found herself outside and the warm breeze calmed her nerves as she looked at the woman that she was following.

"So, how have you been Helga?" Victoria said over her shoulder as she walked ahead of Helga swaying her hips in a sophisticated manner. She looked like some high end model, although she had a little more meat on her bones, she was dressed very well and her body language portrayed it as well.

"Enough with the pleasantries Victoria. What do you want?" Helga said in a calm voice as the two stopped and sat down on a concrete bench a little ways away from the entrance to the mall.

Victoria tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly at Helga. "Oh, I am sure you are already aware of that my dear." Her voice was so light and airy, not befitting to the actually monster she really was. Looking sweet and innocent on the outside was what she did best before she went for the throat with a blade.

"I figured it wouldn't be long before I was found." Helga stated as she sat back on the bench with a huff, "Then again, I wasn't really trying to hide. I am tired of hiding from you and your goons."

A light chuckle hit Helga's ears and a shiver ran down her spine at the sound. "Well, hiding would have been futile anyways. Hiding is pointless when I already know your group's every move as well as the future ones."

Helga didn't react to the words, or the confession that there was indeed someone close that was spilling their guts to the enemy. "I figured as much…how long do I have?"

"Oh, now you cannot expect me to spill my plans. Just know that your time is limited." Victoria smiled at Helga one last time before standing and walking gracefully towards the busy street.

Helga sat on the bench a while longer before standing and walking back towards the mall entrance. Once inside she looked around for the familiar faces she had left earlier. When she did not see them right away she started to walk towards the food court thinking that since that was the last thing they discussed it would be the best place to start. The words of the woman buzzed in her head and she continued walking silently with her head hung low. Her eyes never left the floor as she walked on occasionally bumping into someone but never looking at them as she muttered an apology.

"Helga!" The squeaky voice broke her train of thought and she looked up to see Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold standing in the far corner of the food court. She also noticed four other figures now standing with them. As she walked closer the four turned and she could see it was Samuel, Isaac, Simon and Rose. A smile spread across her face when she saw them and she picked up her pace a bit.

"Who was that woman?" Was the first question she got as soon as she was close enough. Phoebe had a very worried look on her face as she fidgeted next to Gerald. A quick glance at the others and Helga could see that same question was running through their minds.

"No one you need to worry about." Helga smiled at Phoebe and patted her shoulder.

"Helga." Simon's voice caught her attention and she turned to look at the other group of people she had come to care for over the years. "What did Victoria want?"

She gave Simon a look that said "later" and he nodded knowingly before turning and walking away. The others followed except for Isaac. He approached Helga and leaned in close, "Did she say who?" Helga shook her head knowing exactly what he was asking. With a loud huff he ran a hand through his hair leaning away from her. He closed his eyes as the pinched the bridge of his nose and opened his eyes slowly, "Should I stay?"

Helga looked back to her friends and then to Isaac, "No, I'll be fine." He hesitated before nodding and turning but not before shooting a small glare in Arnold's direction.

"Helga?" Phoebe's small voice reached Helga's ears and she turned.

"Hmm?"

"Um, you know, if you need to talk-" the small girl was fighting for the right words when Helga cut her off.

"It's nothing you need to worry about Pheebs. I'll be okay, promise." Helga smiled but it was forced along with the false promise.

…**.**

The incident at the mall had ruined the day so the group headed back to Gerald and Phoebe's house. It was getting late and Helga found herself once again sitting at the dinner table with the three.

"Helga?" Phoebe spoke up as they finished with the dishes.

"Yeah."

"Are you going to be staying here again tonight?" Phoebe asked as she looked around Helga towards the living room where Gerald and Arnold currently were.

"I don't know. This morning was a little awkward." Helga groaned as she sat the dish down on the counter. Phoebe giggled at Helga's response which earned her a small glare but she continued to giggle.

"Oh come on Helga, it couldn't have been that bad." Phoebe teased nudging her elbow into Helga's side. "Plus, I have enjoyed having you here." Helga looked at Phoebe with a small smile. It was nice to be able to spend the time together and the look on the small girl's face was making rejecting the offer to stay very hard for Helga.

With a huff Helga rolled her eyes playfully, "Okay, okay I will stay another night." When Phoebe hugged Helga she couldn't resist a small laugh.

…

Later that night Helga found herself in the same predicament as before. Lying in bed thinking about a certain person who this time chose to sleep in the other guest room next door. Sleep was once again being cruel and her thoughts kept leading her back to the position she found herself in that morning and the position afterwards. She could feel her body heat up again at the memory and she covered her face with the pillow groaning.

With a loud sigh she found her body moving and she was off the bed walking towards the bedroom door. As quietly as possible she opened the door, waited a minute to listen to the sound of nothing and walked slowly towards the stairs and to the kitchen. The glass of water helped to quench her thirst but not her wild mind. She walked silently back up the stairs rounding the corner to the hallway that led to the two guest bedrooms. As she rounded the corner she gasped when she hit something solid and nearly fell backwards down the stairs. An arm wrapped around her waist quickly and pulled her into whoever she had bumped into. With the options of who she ran into being small with the number of people in the house she slowly looked up to meet the familiar green eyes she was so fond of in her younger years.

"Sorry." Arnold whispered as he pulled her away from the stairs. His arm was still around her waist as they stood in the hallway.

"Um, it-its' fine. I wasn't paying attention." Helga mumbled. She could feel her face heating up again and it was beginning to frustrate her to no end at the reaction she was having around him now. In her younger years she could see why she would be like this but she was grown now. The silence wrapped around her as she continued to tell herself that she was a grown woman and acting like a fumbling love-struck teenager was unacceptable.

She had gathered her courage to tell him off when she looked back to him, her eyes meeting his and all sense left her once again. Cursing herself for this sudden weakness and hating the fact that word had even come as a description of herself in the current situation.

Before she had a chance to speak Arnold had decided to go first. "Well, actually I have been meaning to apologize for a few things." He said nervously as he released her waist and scratched the back of his head.

"Like what?" Helga questioned and the thought of his hand no longer around her had her slumping slightly.

"Well, " He started, clearly fighting an inner battle as he found the words, "this morning for starters. And then what happened at the mall with Keira's friend." He shook his head as he looked away.

"Eh, I'm not worried about her." Helga shrugged finding confidence when it came to that particular subject. "I'm not mad at you about what she said or the fact you have a psycho ex-girlfriend who would like to see me ruined."

Arnold chuckled quietly then slowly looked at Helga. "So does that mean you are mad about this morning?"

Helga raised an eyebrow and continued on with the false show of being even minded. "No."

"Really?" He asked with surprise.

"Why would I be?" She shrugged as she looked at Arnold patting herself on the back mentally for being able to keep herself together. "I'll admit it was a bit awkward but I have been in worse situations."

Arnold looked surprised at her reasoning and then smiled. "Well I am glad that you aren't mad."

Helga smiled at Arnold as she made her way around him and back to the bedroom she had been in prior. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it taking deep calming breaths. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she wanted nothing more than for it to cease its ridiculous actions. Just as she was getting herself back together a soft knock echoed from the door. A soft gasp left her as the sound startled her and she turned to face the door.

"Helga?" Arnold spoke from the other side.

With hesitation she reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly hearing every click as the mechanism worked to allow the door to open. "Forget something?" she joked as she looked at Arnold once the door was fully open.

Arnold seemed to be thinking about something with the way his eyebrows knitted together in frustration and then he looked to her. He took a slow step forward and then another. With each step Helga felt herself involuntarily take a step back and before she knew it the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed. She let out a small surprised yelp and turned quickly to look at the bed and then back to Arnold. There was a look in his eyes that Helga had never seen before and she was beginning to get nervous. Without warning, Arnold reached forward with both hands and cupped her face pulling it up towards him. Helga stared at him in surprised as he moved his head closer and gasped when his lips found hers. Her head was spinning and she could feel her knees growing weak as he continued. His lips were soft and seemed to fit perfectly with hers as they moved over them with ease. She closed her eyes after a second and moved her lips with his intensifying the kiss while causing her body to light up from the contact. After a moment she felt the contact leave her lips and she stared with bewilderment at the man that stood in front of her.

"I hope you're not mad." He breathed, "But I should have done that when I had the chance yesterday."

**R&amp;R like always :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Was able to get this next chapter up a lot faster than I thought. I am going to try to keep this up so that this story will eventually be complete. It won't be soon though because there is still a good bit left to go. I just want to say thank you to all of those that are following my story and more thanks to those that have taken the time to write a review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. **

**Chapter X**

Helga stood still, the sounds of her heavy breathing being the only sound in the silent bedroom. Her fingers subconsciously moved to her lips feeling the light tingling sensation left behind by the unexpected kiss. With blank eyes staring into nothing she would have seemed to most people like she was in a trance but her mind was running wild. She had just received something from the boy, now man that she swooned over as a younger girl. Something that had her mind blinking in and out functioning like a defective light bulb, her body covering in chills and heart picking up speed.

Who knew a kiss, something so simple could trigger such an intense reaction. Mind and body filling with feelings she had long since locked away. Excitement filled her core but at the same time she felt furious. Timing was absolutely crucial and right in this moment in her life timing was everything. She was furious because of this, if it had been five years before then this kiss would have meant so much more. Unfortunately for Helga, this kiss brought on another feeling, one she did not like having…_fear_.

"Helga?" Arnold's voice laced with worry was able to pull her from her mind blown state. She slowly looked at him with large fear filled eyes. His face shown alarm at her reaction and his first instinct was to grab her shoulders. "Helga? Talk to me."

"I…" she stumbled as she jerked from his hold and slipped around him and backed up towards the bedroom door. She held her arms over her chest, fists clenched as she looked at Arnold with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, I…"

Arnold stepped forward reaching out towards her slowly. "Sorry? Helga?" His eyes were so full of question and Helga had no way of knowing how to answer him properly before bolting from the room and running down the stairs. Arnold yelled her name and it echoed throughout the house more than likely waking Phoebe and Gerald in the process. He saw Helga jerk the front door open and run out into the night. By the time he had reached the door Gerald's bedroom door flung open, a panicked looking Gerald standing in the doorway.

"What's going on?!" Gerald bellowed with worry. Phoebe stood right behind him with just as much concern showing on her face.

He didn't get an answer as Arnold bolted out the door behind Helga. Gerald turned and looked at Phoebe placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "Stay here I'll go find out what is going on." Phoebe nodded her head in silent understanding and Gerald placed a soft kiss on her forehead before running out the front door behind Arnold.

He ran out of the house just in time to see Arnold to his left round the corner of some nearby apartment building. With his long legs it didn't take him long to catch up to Arnold who was bent over, hands on his knees breathing heavily. A quick glance around the area showed that they were the only ones around.

Gerald looked back down to Arnold, "Man what the hell is going on?!" His breathing was not as labored as Arnold's but he obviously had been winded by the short sprint.

"I…think I…messed up." Arnold said between breaths before leaning up and breathing deeply looking around them. "Where did she go?" he whispered.

"Messed up? What happened?" Gerald grabbed Arnold by the arm and shook him.

Arnold turned his head towards Gerald and sighed. "I, um," he scratched the back of his neck looking off into a random direction. "I kissed Helga."

Gerald's eyes grew wide, "You what?! When?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Right before she ran out of the house." Arnold replied as his hand dropped and his eyes moved to focus on the ground. He let out a small sigh before looking up to meet Gerald's gaze.

"Well, what made her react like that? Why did she run out?" Gerald calmed himself as he took in his best friend's current state.

"I just kind of did it." Arnold answered sheepishly.

"Did she say anything?" Gerald asked as he motioned for Arnold to proceed with the information.

"Not really, no. She just kind of froze and then she said she was sorry."

"She said she was sorry? Why?" Gerald's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"I don't know she just ran after that." Arnold shrugged and then his eyes traveled around them trying to catch a glimpse of anything or anyone that might be Helga.

"Oh man," Gerald ran his hand over his face, "I have said it in the past Arnold. You're a bold kid, man, but you know better than anyone that you can't just spring something like that on someone like Helga."

"I-I know. I just, I wanted to and I was afraid that if I didn't do it right then that I would probably never do it." Arnold admitted. "I just needed to see."

"See what?" Gerald's curiosity was definitely peaked at this response.

"I wanted to see if there was anything to it. As if, if there would be more there than just a simple kiss." Arnold looked to Gerald silently asking if that was the right way to put it.

"Well?" Gerald probed crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well what?" Arnold raised an eyebrow.

"Was there?"

Arnold thought about how he felt at the moment he had kissed Helga. Besides being extremely nervous on the approach and then the initial contact his mind had been focused mainly on keeping himself together. During the kiss, that was completely different, all the nervousness he had felt on the approach had disappeared and the kiss felt, right. It felt as if her lips were supposed to be connected to his in such a way and that like two puzzle pieces, they just fit together. It wasn't dull, it wasn't plain and he wasn't unaffected by it. His mind soared and his lips tingled from the movement of her lips on his. As he thought about it a small smirk appeared on his face and his features softened.

"Well that answers that." Gerald chuckled uncrossing his arms.

Arnold rolled his eyes at Gerald, "Yeah well now I need to find out Helga's feelings. That is if she ever talks to me again."

Gerald threw an around Arnold's shoulders, "Come on man, let's see if we can find her. If not I am sure she will call Phoebe as soon as she gets wherever it is she is running to."

"I don't want to leave her out here alone Gerald, what if someone tries to hurt her?" Arnold scolded lightly.

"Arnold, its Helga. She may have changed a lot over the years but I am sure _that_ is one department that did not." Gerald gave Arnold a reassuring smile. "Come on."

…

Helga stood outside the door to the apartment she had been sharing. Her breathing was heavy and she could feel the oncoming signs of a headache starting. With the spare key she slipped into the apartment as silently as she could and tiptoed to the living room. All the lights were out and the apartment was completely silent as she walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water and some headache medicine. She was reaching for a glass when someone slipped an arm around her slim waist and pulled her back quickly. The glass fell from the cabinet and crashed onto the floor shattering.

"What are you doing out at this time of night?" The deep voice spurred a fire in Helga and she elbowed them in the stomach successfully breaking the hold on her.

She whipped around and swung her fist at the same time connecting with his cheek. He hit the floor and Helga walked towards him stopping between his legs and placing a foot lightly on a certain area that made him still in his squirming. With hands on her hips and a scowl on her face she looked down to the man, "What the hell is the matter with you Isaac?! You know better than to sneak up on me like that." She put pressure on the area her foot was resting causing a deep groan to escape him.

"Well, what the hell were you doing out this late?!" Isaac hissed in a whisper as he grabbed Helga's leg in one swift move. Helga bent to connect her fist with his jaw when he let go of her leg and grabbed her arm. With a yelp she found herself pinned on the floor with Isaac leaning over her back, her arm twisted up behind her. "You gonna answer me, or keep trying to hit me?" He smirked.

Helga let out a low growl, "I just decided to go for a walk." She lied.

Isaac wrenched her arm up slightly eliciting a groan from Helga, "Try again."

Helga struggled in his hold a bit before figuring it wasn't worth a sore arm but as soon as he let she was so going knock his block off. "I just didn't feel like staying there okay. I feel safer here. Happy now?" She snarled.

"Mmm, I still don't believe you." He chuckled as Helga glared at him as best she could over her shoulder. "As much as I am enjoying this I don't want you to beat me too badly when I let you go." He smirked at Helga before letting her arm go and taking a quick step back.

Helga placed her arms underneath her and pushed herself up and off of the floor. She dusted her legs off and shot Isaac a death glare before walking back towards the shattered glass. Isaac was standing with his arms crossed leaning against the nearby wall as Helga proceeded to clean the mess.

"Did something happen?" He asked casually.

Helga glared at him over her shoulder once more before returning to her work of cleaning the mess again. "None of your business." She replied dryly.

Isaac huffed and pushed himself off of the wall and walked towards the cabinet grabbing another glass and setting it down on the counter. "If he did something to you…" Isaac started as he placed his hands on the counter, his back to Helga.

Helga let out a breath of air before walking over to the counter and grabbing the glass. She moved to the sink and filled the glass with water before walking towards the medicine cabinet above the refrigerator. After a moment of rummaging through all the stuff she found the medicine she was looking for and popped two in her mouth chasing them with a large swig of water.

"I'll break him." Isaac finished after a long pause.

"It wasn't anything I didn't like." Helga replied casually as she walked passed him. She smirked at the shocked look on his face and flopped down onto the couch with a sigh. "Or would mind doing again." She finished.

Isaac looked as if he could have pulled the counter top off with his bare hands at her response. Helga couldn't help but chuckle as she took another drink of the water before placing it on the coffee table.

"Well, it must not have been that good." His sudden retort made her eyes go wide and her head whipped towards his direction. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as he rounded the counter and walked into the living room with his hands in his pockets. He leaned down to Helga, his face less than an inch from hers, "Seems like it wasn't worth sticking around for." He paused, "Or it was just that bad."

Helga glared at him as his smirk grew wider, but then her features softened and she held a smirk of her own. "Jealous?"

Isaac's eyes widened considerably as he jerked his head back and stared at Helga. "What?!" His usually deep voice became a bit higher pitched with his shocked response. He cleared his throat before speaking again, "Why the hell would I be?"

"The better question is why wouldn't you be?" Helga continued to smirk as she stood from the couch. Isaac backed away from Helga as she stalked closer to him, his back eventually hitting the wall that connected to the hallway.

"We-well, I'm not. Besides the best question here is why you are here then?" His question halted Helga in her steps and she looked to the side completely losing the drive to torture her friend. "Well?"

Helga looked at Isaac as he walked closer to her form, "I, just panicked I guess."

Isaac tilted his head to the side and studied her, "Panicked? The Helga I know wouldn't have run away from, well anything."

Her mind was once again running over the whole situation involving the kiss when she felt arms around her. Hugs were not on her lists of comforts but she wasn't really in the mood to push him away. She had just run away from the one person that she had harbored the most feeling for in her entire life. She had run away after he kissed her, something she had wanted for so long but put the idea into the back of her mind ever since she left Hillwood. A thought that had been almost forgotten until that first night back, when she finally got to see him again. Now after she had finally gotten the chance to see her childhood crush after over five years and receiving the kiss she longed for, she stands in her apartment feeling nothing but fear. Fear, that one feeling that just wouldn't leave her be ever since the feeling of his lips left hers.

Helga wrapped her arms around Isaac, "What do I do? I'm afraid." She whispered.

Isaac tensed at her words, "Afraid? Did I just hear you correctly?" Helga nodded her head in his chest. With a long sigh he squeezed her tighter, "The Helga I have come to know over the years would have never let that word define her."

That was the only answer he gave before pulling back and placing a small kiss on her forehead. Helga looked up to Isaac and he smirked.

"Angel?" The voice caught the two by surprise and they jumped. Samuel walked out of the dark hallway and made his way silently over to them. He looked between the two with knowing eyes; he had obviously heard everything, "Isaac is right you know." Helga tilted her head in question. Samuel smiled, "Do not let the current situations define who you really are. Fear is something that we are here to help stop. That feeling should never fill your senses and if it has then we aren't doing our job well enough."

"What am I supposed to do Samuel? They already know I am here, I didn't really care if they knew but now the whole thing has just gotten so much more complicated." Helga ran a hand through her hair. "Victoria told me my time was limited. How can I not let that feeling invade my being when I know that? It's not for me that I feel it for; it's for those that I care about. I may be becoming soft with this but I don't want anything to happen to them."

"Then don't let it." Samuel stated with a shrug as if the answer was so obvious. "And as for Victoria, you leave her to me. I will make sure she never interferes with anything that involves your life."

Helga smiled but the feeling in the pit of her stomach was telling her that it would not be so easy. Before Helga could say anything Samuel's phone started to ring. He gave it a curious look as well as shot a look at Helga before accepting the call.

"Yes?" He answered in a clear voice.

"_Um, I am sorry it is so late but, I didn't know who else to call and Helga left her phone here. My name is Phoebe, I am Helga's friend, please tell me she is with you."_ Phoebe's voice was laced with worry and Samuel gave Helga a scolding look.

"Yes, Phoebe, she is here and she is very sorry for making you worry so much." Samuel said as he looked Helga in the eyes. Helga narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in a defiant manner making her look much like a scolded child.

"_Thank you."_ Phoebe let out a sigh of relief, _"Um, would you mind putting Helga on the phone?"_

"Of course." Samuel answered as he extended his arm out toward Helga, phone in hand. He gestured for her to take it.

Helga took the phone before sending Samuel one last look, "Phoebe?"

"_Helga? Why on earth did you run out like that?"_ Phoebe asked with a slight hint of annoyance, _"I was worried sick, especially when I discovered your phone on the night stand and had no way of making sure you were okay. Arnold and Gerald are still out looking for you."_

With a low sigh Helga answered, "Its, a long story Phoebe. I am sorry that I made you worry."

"_Well, I expect an explanation when you come to get your phone tomorrow."_ Phoebe's reply made Helga laugh inside, she knew she was wrong to think it at this particular time but the way Phoebe had said it made her think of a mother correcting their child.

"Yes, ma'am." Helga answered with a serious tone but a smile was spread across her face. They exchanged their goodbyes before ending the call. Helga stared at the phone for a moment before handing it back to Samuel. The look on his face told her she was not getting out of this one so easily and she let out a groan. "Why does everyone have to treat me like I am a kid?"

"Because you are acting like one." Isaac answered as he walked down the hallway and into his bedroom.

"I am going to smother him in his sleep." Helga said flatly.

Samuel chuckled as he walked down the hallway towards his own room, "Get some rest Angel, good night."

Helga mimicked the two and walked to her room as well, opening the door and shuffling to her soft bed. She fell face first onto the soft mattress and groaned, "I'm such an idiot." Her hand moved up to her lips once more, the tingling sensation still present and her mind drifted off to the feel of his lips. They were perfect and so soft, now that she had time to think about it more clearly she couldn't remember a time that a kiss had lingered on her lips for this long. Maybe it was time for her to live her life a little but the consequences of dropping her guard were constantly on her mind and the words Victoria spoke were haunting her now. They did not bother her at first but now, well things just got a lot more complicated.

**Another chapter down. Please R&amp;R. It helps to know how the story is going with the readers. **


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